Boiling Point
by LucyLove89
Summary: Six years after the war, the gaang has gone their separate ways. A festival celebrating the end of the war brings them back together in Fire Nation capital. However, things aren't as peaceful as they seem as there are still many who wish Ozai had succeeded. Some good ol fashioned Zutara! I'm not sure what this should be rated at so we're keeping it at a T for now!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and thanks for clicking on this! I am pretty new to all this but I thought it might be fun because I rewatched Avatar and remembered how much I loved Zutara. This takes place like six years after Sozin's Comet so everyone is an adult. Yes, I** _ **know**_ **Katara and Aang got married and had three kids but we're just gonna ignore that for the sake of this story. I'm not really sure what to rate this so I'm just gonna say T for now and see where it goes. This is a third person story but mostly from Katara's perspective. Hope you enjoy!**

"Alright well that's going to be all for today. Run on home everyone!"

"Thank you Master Katara" a chorus of children said as they ran to their parents who waited for them with open arms. Katara smiled as she saw her students each be swept into the loving embrace of their mothers or their fathers.

It had been six years since the great war had ended. Things were really peaceful now, but it certainly wasn't as instantaneous as they all thought it would be. There were a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up. It was about six months before the gaang was able to finally leave the fire nation, excluding Zuko that is. There had been so much damage done during the battles during Sozin's comet, people that lived in or near the capital were in desperate need of healing and resources, there was crowd control, and the obvious fire nation citizens that were set on remaining loyal to Ozai, regardless of his failure. Katara had thought the war had been stressful, but this brought on a whole new level of stress. She did not envy Zuko's new responsibility as Fire Lord.

After six months, everyone sort of left simultaneously. Suki left for Kyoshi to go train the new warriors, there had been quite a lot of new recruits after their impressive abilities were showcased during the war. Toph stayed in the Fire Nation for awhile, but ultimately decided to go back to the Earth Kingdom and see if she could teach people metalbending. She said it was because her abilities are so amazing and awesome she shouldn't just keep them to herself, but Katara knew it was because she really took pride in teaching Aang about earthbending and she wanted to continue her legacy. Sokka left home for the Southern Watertribe. As much as he wanted to go with Suki, he knew that his place was in his tribe. They had a lot of rebuilding to do as the damages of war really took a tull on their village.

Katara and Aang were the last to leave, partly because they both felt guilty about leaving Zuko behind. He was clearly in over his head. He was only sixteen and yet the responsibility of rebuilding a nation that had been fueled by terror, hatred, propaganda, and war for a century sat solely on his shoulders. He insisted that he would be alright, Iroh would be there to help, but Katara didn't really buy that. She could always tell when he was lying through his teeth, she didn't need to be Toph to tell that he needed as much help as he could get. However, eventually, they too left together. Aang would have a lot of work to do as the Avatar and that meant a lot of travel and Katara would follow him.

They kissed after the fighting was finally over and it seemed like everything was right. For the first year of traveling, it was fantastic and everything she hoped it would be. It was difficult, but she could really see how much Aang touched the lives of everyone who met him. No matter where they went, people would look at him with sparkles in their eyes, like they had seen a god. He really was the world's savior. Their days were filled with helping people post-war and their nights were filled with soft innocent kisses and cuddling. But like many relationships, theirs began to fall apart. It's not that Katara didn't _like_ the kisses and attention she received from Aang, there was something that just began to feel _off._ She had a hard time placing what it was, but eventually Katara realized what was bothering her. Aang was only thirteen and she was only fifteen and they were practically living together. Sure, they had a lot of back and forth throughout the duration of the war, but that doesn't exactly count as a foundation of a relationship. They just, sort of jumped into everything really quickly. When they began dating, he was only twelve, still just a child.

Katara tried to reason with herself that it was nothing, but still she couldn't help but think about his age. He was so young, he hadn't really even hit puberty yet. As they grew older, she began to see him more a child, and that made her pull away when he would reach for her hand, go to bed early, or turn her head when he tried to kiss her.

It was a cold day and they were visiting her family in the Southern Watertribe when she finally decided to end it. It was the night before they were going to leave for the Omashu to do some "Avatar" work. Katara had hinted at it, but apparently not enough for Aang to get the picture.

"What do you mean you're staying?" Aang asked, his face twisting with emotions displaying his hurt and confusion.

"Aang...I just," Katara looked down and let out a sigh. "I just think its for the best if we, you know...stop this."

"Stop what? Katara, what are you saying?"

"I don't know if I can do this anymore. I just think we started really fast and-"

"We can slow things down if that what's you need," Aang said quickly. He grabbed her hands. "Katara, don't. Please."

"I'm really sorry, Aang. I just think it's for the best if we break it off."

"But I love you, Katara," Aang said, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I know," Katara said with tears threatening to spill down her cheeks as well. "I think it's for the best."

Katara left before Aang could say anything else and when she woke the next morning, he had already left. When she asked Sokka about it, he had said that Aang just told them it was important that he got moving and to tell her he said he wished her well.

Since then, there was a whole new generation of waterbenders that had been born into their village on top of the benders that moved from the Northern tribe in hopes for a quieter life. That being said, there was a whole wide range of children without any real bending teaching so Katara made it her job to teach waterbending. She taught kids from as young as five to adults as old as her gran-gran. It was a lot of work, but Katara felt great joy in seeing someone's face light up whenever they finally nailed a new technique. She felt like she was reviving something that was almost lost.

Katara was now twenty years old. She and her brother still lived with their father, but that was customary in the watertribe. Usually, the children didn't move out until they were to be married so Katara traveling with the Avatar for a year at only fifteen was strange.

She threw her bag onto the floor of her hut and greeted her family that sat in the living area of their home.

"How was class?" asked Hakoda. He had shown very little signs of aging and remained the respectable leader of the tribe.

"Same old, same old," Katara smiled. Hakoda and Sokka both smiled as a way to say "well that's good."

"Anyways, we got a letter from the royal jerkbender today," said Sokka waving a scroll that was rolled up with a royal fire nation seal still in tact. "I thought I should actually wait for you before I opened it since I'm sure you would've just yelled at me if I opened it."

"Really?" Katara asked taking the scroll out of Sokka's hands.

"Hey, I wanted to open it," Sokka complained.

"Oh c'mon you're twenty one, shut up," Katara rolled her eyes ashe tore the scroll open anyways. Zuko wrote to her every now and again, but she hadn't heard anything in the past few months.

She really enjoyed talking to Zuko. Ever since the war, she felt like she was the mother in the group. She washed everyone's clothes, cooked for everyone, took care of everyone when they were sick, and even talked to them like they were her children. That's probably a major reason as to why her relationship with Aang didn't work out well, she thought to herself. But with Zuko, it was just _different._ She never felt she had to do that with him. She talked to him freely and didn't worry she would hurt him or that he would judge her. He always gave the best advice and, upon hearing about her and Aang's breakup, was surprisingly good at consoling. However, his letters would always arrive rather sporadically. He was running a nation after all and he didn't always have time to write his peasant friend who lived miles away.

Sokka grumbled something as Katara unrolled the scroll and read aloud:

"Hello friends of my nephew! It has been far too long. I know that I am probably not who you thought you would be hearing from so I hope you are not disappointed but as you know, my nephew is very busy. Anyways, there has been a festival in the capital every year since the war to celebrating the ending of the century long fight as I am sure you are aware. People from all nations come and visit and it is a time where everyone forgets the tensions of the past. I was hoping that you two would be able to make an appearance this year. Master Toph, Suki and Avatar Aang have already agreed to join us and having you two here would be just like old times I am sure. Plus, between old friends, my nephew could use the comfort of a few friends. I can tell Zuko is stressed and is always so somber, even if he is too stubborn to admit it. You could all use a little vacation. Anyways, I hope to hear from you soon. I wish you well.

-Iroh"

Katara had to admit, part of her _was_ a little disappointed it wasn't from Zuko, but she could never be upset hearing from Iroh. Plus, this invitation seem really intriguing.

"So, what do you think?" asked Hakoda.

"Hell yeah it what i say!" exclaimed Sokka enthusiastically. He clapped his hands together and had a huge grin on his face. "It has been far too long since I've been able to eat some fire nation junk food! Plus, I can take Suki somewhere new."

Katara wanted to meet Sokka with enthusiasm. She missed her friends all so much and it would really be just like old times. Katara also noted Iroh's description of Zuko and she worried. It wasn't really a surprise that he was stressed, but she wondered why he was so sad. Things with Aang were still awkward, however. He had visited the south pole but Katara never really went anywhere alone with him. He had asked her if they could talk a few times, but she always fell back on the excuse of being too busy with her pupils. Not only that, but there was the more obvious issue for just leaving for the fire nation. "I don't know, Sokka. You're busy with tribal duties with dad and I have my waterbending school…"

Sokka slumped in his chair and muttered about how she was no fun. Hakoda chuckled and looked at Katara "I think Iroh is right, you could all use a little vacation. Sokka, don't worry about the tribe, we've got it covered here we'll be able to manage. Katara, I think your students could use some time off. Plus, Pakku is here, he could always take over for you."

"Well...I mean when you put it that way…"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Sokka said as he leaped out of his chair and grabbed his sister. "Get packin' little sister! We're going to the Fire Nation.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, they hadn't exactly started packing immediately. Sokka's enthusiasm was soon met by the reality that they still had few weeks before they would have to start their journey to the Fire Nation. However, those weeks seemed to go by in a flash. Katara kept busy with her waterbending classes, but she couldn't always bury the anxiety that came with going to the Fire Nation. Perhaps she was being a little dramatic, this all seemed a lot like a story your grandmother would tell you when you were a little girl. She was nervous to see Aang, for obvious reasons, but there was more to it than just that. She should be excited to see her other friends.

Katara would see Suki from time to time since she and Sokka took turns visiting each other. It had been about a month since her last visit down south. Suki had grown into a beautiful young woman, but hadn't changed much. Just like Sokka had grown much taller and toned up, she grew into her adult figure but her face remained youthful and her hair short. The last time Katara saw Toph and Aang had been many moons ago, maybe even a full year? Toph was traveling with Aang at the time. Toph insisted it was because Aang needs someone to keep him grounded, but Katara could see right through that. Toph was lonely and needed some companionship from her old friends, and no one better to do that with than Aang, who was also alone. Aang was still bald, but his boyish features had almost completely disappeared. His voice was a lot deeper and his face was beginning to lose the boy-like cheeks for a more adult look. He had also grown to be just about Sokka's height. Toph was still a head shorter than even Katara, but that, just like before, didn't stop her from being feisty as ever. Katara remembered thinking that maybe puberty would calm Toph down but if anything that made her even more fiery and stubborn. Toph still liked to tease everyone and with her age came wisdom. So if her sarcastic remarks weren't a lot to handle before, she now had a whole arsenal of dirty jokes she would spit out every now and then that could make even Sokka blush.

Katara herself had done a bit of growing as well. She grew a little taller, but when standing only came to Sokka's nose. She did fill out quite nicely though. Her beauty was evident in her younger years, but since then she has blossomed from being beautiful to being stunning. Her looks were something that was mentioned in almost any story from the war. Her hair was soft and long just had it always had been only she wore it almost completely down with her tendril pulled back into a bun. Her body remained muscular from the amount of training she does, but her figure was very womanly. She had thick thighs and large breasts and just about every guy who knew she was single tried to get her to go on a date with them.

However, Katara hadn't seen Zuko since she and Aang left the Fire Nation six years ago. It's true that she talked with him the most out of their group, with the exception of Sokka being as they lived together, but she hadn't physically seen him in ages. She had no idea to what to expect and it made her nervous. Word travels and she does have teenage girls in her class who whisper amongst each other about how handsome the fire lord is. She always felt an odd feeling in her chest every time people talked about Zuko and she wasn't sure why. But when people mentioned his appearance, she couldn't help but wonder if the stories were true. He had always been handsome. There was a lot to think about during the war but she was a teenage girl nonetheless. Sometimes she couldn't help herself from sneaking a look a Zuko when he would be firebending with his shirt off.

Katara just shook her head as she felt her face heat up. There's no need to be nervous, it's just Zuko and he is her friend just like the rest of them. It shouldn't matter what he looks like now, she'll just be glad to see him.

The three weeks they had to wait soon came to an end and they boarded the ship that would take them to the Fire Nation. It would take four days to reach Kyoshi to pick up Suki and about another three to actually arrive. Sokka, of course, complained the entire time but less once Suki was on board. Katara didn't need to think of what Suki was doing to keep Sokka's constant whining at a minimum. The trip didn't seem too long, but Katara's nerves were getting the best of her. Why was she so damn nervous? She should have been nervous about Aang since it was clear that encounter was going to be awkward. But every time she would think about that, she would think about Zuko instead. Why was she so anxious about seeing him again? What if he didn't want to see her. He was stressed out and "somber" as Iroh put it. That's right, something was upsetting him, but what it is? What if she couldn't cheer him up and her being there only makes him angry? Dammit, Katara get ahold of yourself!

It was a clear sky and the moon was shining brightly the night before the arrived in the Fire Nation. Katara was tired, but couldn't sleep. Being a waterbender was great, but it the moon kept her up sometimes. "Dam Yue, you can't just let me sleep tonight?" Katara said to herself. She slipped out of bed and headed to the deck of the ship to watch the sky for awhile. She came to the edge of the boat and looked over the edge and watched as the waves gently crashed against the ship. She took a deep breathe in and smelt the salty smell of the see but could also smell the smokeyness that anyone who had been to the Fire Nation could recognize, they were getting close.

"Trouble sleeping?" a sweet voice from behind her said. It was Suki.

"Yeah, being a waterbender and all I guess," Katara said gesturing towards the moon.

"I think it's more than that," Suki smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"Katara, I'm not Sokka. I can tell you're nervous," Suki said gently.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Katara stammered.

"Katara, it's okay I get it. Aang is going to be there, it's okay to be nervous about seeing him again," Suki said as she put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, yeah Aang…" Katara trailed off. She was glad Suki hadn't been able to tell she was more anxious about seeing Zuko than anything.

"I promise it'll be okay. And if does anything to make you feel weird, I'm sure Sokka will rough him up for you...or Toph, I feel like she might be better at that actually," Suki giggled, this got laugh out of Katara. "It'll be nice to see Zuko too!" Katara stopped laughing.

"Y-yeah it will," Katara said, hoping the darkness of the night would cover her nervous facial expression she was probably making.

"What, are you worried about seeing Zuko? I'm sure he'll be the same too," Suki said. Suki couldn't help but notice something about Katara changed when she brought his name up. She'd have to remember that. Either way, it was clear it wasn't something Katara didn't feel like discussing. "Anyways, it's late. We should probably go to bed. We'll be arriving in the capital early in the morning."

Katara and Suki both returned to their sleeping quarters. Katara wrapped herself up in her wool blanket and sighed. Her mind was racing a million miles a minute as she thought about what tomorrow would bring. Toph and Aang would probably already be there, Iroh would probably be welcoming them in as well. And Zuko, well who knows. He probably has other things to be doing.

 _I hear he's so handsome, even the statues they make of him aren't as perfect!_

 _I hear he's so beautiful, men try to style their hair to look just like him!_

 _I hear he's so sexy, he doesn't have any servants help him get changed because they just can't help themselves!_

These were the stories Katara would hear her teenage girl students gossip about and she couldn't help but wonder how true they were. She began to feel her face heat up and she shook her head clear of these thoughts. She had an early morning and she needed to get some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Katara struggled against the tree that she was tied to. The bark scratched against her bare wrists and began to leave little splinters as proof of her struggling to get lose, but it was no use. She looked around expecting to be surrounded by an army of Fire Nation soldiers like she had been on a night similar to this many years ago, but there was no one.

"You'd better show yourself!" Katara yelled. She had been known to be fiesty when she scared. She began to look around frantically for anyway to free herself when a deep rough voice said "I'll save you from the pirates."

Katara looked forward and saw Zuko coming towards her. However, this was not the same Zuko that had tied her to a tree when they were children, this was the Zuko her students had been talking about. He was tall and the moon glisted off of his pale skin. His hair had grown to his shoulders and hung loose and fell over his glowing golden eyes. He was also shirtless and his body, oh his body was everything Katara would have imaged. He was perfectly toned and beautiful.

Katara stopped struggling and watched him get closer and closer. "I'll drown you in this river," she smirked.

He then came tantalizingly close to her face, she could practically taste his breath when he said "I'd like to see you try."

Zuko then pressed his lips to her's and grabbed her waist. Katara sighed into his wet kiss and pushed back. She felt his tongue press against her lips, asking to be let in and she opened her mouth accepting his request. As their kiss began to heat up, his warm hands moved from her waist down to her-

"Katara wake up! We'll be docking soon" Sokka yelled banging on her door.

Katara jolted awake and sighed. As much as she wanted to punch Sokka for waking her up when he did, she was also thankful. She wasn't sure why she was having dreams like this, but now it's going to be even harder to look Zuko in the eyes.

Katara quickly put on clothes that were appropriate for the heat of the Fire Nation. She wore a simple blue tunic that had white trim around the bottom and around her waist. This she wore with navy pants and casual brown boots. It was very similar to what she wore during the time they were preparing for Sozin's comet, but her figure was more obvious.

She ran to the hull of the ship where Suki and Sokka were waiting. She looked out and saw the shore. During the war, there really wasn't a lot of time for her to think about the scenery, but she could look out now and take in how beautiful the Fire Nation actually was. It's water sparkled in the sun and you could smell the beach. Even from far away, you could see the lush trees covered in flowers of pink and red lightly blowing the gentle breeze. Just beyond the shore, Katara could spot the crimson and gold palace peeking out from the foliage in the foreground. It somehow seemed larger than she remembered. As they got closer to shore, Katara noticed three familiar figures standing at the dock. It was Toph, Aang and Iroh.

Once the three of them noticed the visitors on the ship they all lit up. Aang and Iroh waved enthusiastically and Toph had her arms crossed with that typical smug grin on her face, yep some things never change. Katara knew not to expect Zuko to be waiting at the docks for her, but she was sure her face still showed disappointment. But nonetheless, she still smiled widely and eaved happily back at the three waiting, she was still overcome with joy to see her friends.

The second Katara stepped onto the dock, Iroh swept her to a large hug.

"Miss Katara! So lovely to see you after so long!" Iroh exclaimed.

"Nice to see you to, uncle!" Katara laughed, slightly strained. Iron may be old, but he's still got some strength to him. After Katara managed to pull away, Iroh went on to giving Sokka and Suki the same bone crushing hug.

"Hey Sugar Queen," Toph teased. "Long time no see."

"Hey Toph it's great to see you," Katara smiled as she bent down for a hug. However, before she could wrap her arms around the younger girl, she got a hard punch in the arm instead. "Ouch!"

"Great to see you too, Sweetness," Toph grinned. She then moved onto to Sokka, jumping up to put him into a headlock and give him a noogie, which was probably very embarrassing for him as he squirmed and tried desperately to get away. Yep. Toph is the same.

Aang awardly made his way over to Katara. He looked at the ground first, with his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey Katara," he smiled.

"Hey, Aang. It's nice seeing you again," Katara said warmly, bringing him into a light hug. He gently put his arm around her waist and sat there in silence for a couple of seconds before Katara felt uncomfortable and pulled away.

"Yeah, I'm glad you all were able to make it," he coughed.

"Me too!" added Sokka. "It's been too long since the gaang's all been together," he said pulling Suki in to his side with one arm and Toph in with the other.

"Well, almost the whole gaang," Aang said turning to Iroh. It was like he read Katara's mind. "Where is Zuko?"

Iroh shook his head and sighed. "My nephew couldn't get away from one of his meetings no matter how hard I tried to get him to. He just never takes a break. Which is why I'm glad you're all here. If he's not going to listen to his uncle, maybe he will listen to his friends."

Katara hoped that would to be true. If running the nation was anything like how it was when she and Aang had left, it's amazing Zuko hadn't had a mental breakdown and fled the capital. The servants of the palace began taking their things and they gaang made their way to the palace where the final member of their group awaited.

"Your Grace?"

Zuko jolted out whatever it was he was lost in thought thinking about. He shook his head "I'm sorry, Eito, what were you saying?" Zuko had been having a harder and harder time concentrating.

"I was saying that the Lao Sze Ten District is requesting funds to restore a local fishing river."

"Is this their main source for food and trade?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Then assuming the crown has the funds, I accept their request. Is there anything else?" Zuko pinched the bridge between his nose. He and his advisors had been talking about whether or not to raise taxes, what should be funded, what needed to rebuilt and what could wait, and many other boring, yet necessary things for the past two and half hours. This talk always gave Zuko a headache, but he knew it was part of his job. With the annual Peace Festival happening in a few days, there had been that added stress of dealing with those formalities as well.

"Yes," spoke Yi-Lu, an older advisor in the back. "There is the matter of you producing an heir that needs to be addressed."

Zuko let out a rather unkingly annoyed groan. Ever since he and Mai parted ways six months ago this is all he's ever heard about. If it wasn't from the council members, it came from his uncle. Iroh brought up his desire to see grand-nephews and nieces running around at some point in his lifetime just about any chance he got.

Zuko and Mai had a fairly clean break up, but it wasn't very public. It had just begun to seep into the public that Zuko was single again about a month ago and it didn't take long for nobles to start sending him pictures of their available daughters. Zuko and Mai had been happy together, for awhile at least. However, Zuko very quickly became overwhelmed with his job. He could hardly spend time with her and she wasn't exactly raised to sit and help him figure things out. Fire Nation noble women were raised to be beautiful, poised, and there for her husband sexually and to produce an heir. There really wasn't a whole lot of time for them to have fun. Mai would never break the relationship off, there was no way her parents would allow that. It's too big of an opportunity for their family for their daughter to marry the Fire Lord. But, Zuko wasn't blind; he could tell that Mai was unhappy. Zuko ended up breaking up with her, more for her sake. She seemed to be relieved more than anything.

"There are my suitable women that come from very powerful lords, from all over the world, that have been inquiring for your courtship and I really think you should look into it," explained Yi-Lu.

"Well if that's all we need to talk about, this can wait," Zuko said stubbornly. He already had a headache, this wasn't going to make it any better.

"But, Lord Zuko-"

Zuko waved him off and walked out of the council room. He really just wanted to the Fire Lady's gardens and clear his head. That's always where he went when he needed to take a breather for the madness that was being the Firelord. The gardens had been a little sad while Ozai was in charge, he never cared much for them, it was Lady Ursa who had always taken care of lush flowers. Since Zuko became Firelord, he hired a staff of gardeners to restore it to its former beauty. Whenever Zuko visited this area, he could feel his mother's warmth and love. It was a very private place.

As Zuko made his way down the hallway he stopped by one of the servants.

"Your Grace," bowed the young lady. Zuko nodded in response. "Your friends have arrived."

"My friends have arrived? What do you mean?"

 **Okay I'll chill out now. I'm just avoiding finals so I posted three fuckin chapters in one day. Anyways, hope ya'll enjoy.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Wow! This place is even bigger than I remember it!" gasped Katara. They gaang walked into the palace that was covered in red and gold silks. The floors were made of a glassy marble material that was so clean Katara could see her own reflection looking back at her. The large golden pillars that went the length of the palace had been carved into, revealing detailed dragons curled around each. Just like the outdoors, colorful flowers covered the entire interior in beautiful hand painted vases. It was like something out of a story. Katara had to catch her breath. Everything was so clean and fresh. The smell of the sea lingered in the palace, but the smoky smell of the fire nation mixed with the flowers was present as well. She had been to the palace many years ago, but she could believe Zuko had brought such new life to the palace; it wasn't so imperial. She had never seen a place so much like paradise.

"Yeah, that royal hothead really knows how to decorate," Sokka said, mouth agape. He also was used to the huts in the Southern Watertribe. While things had improved a lot since the war, even the nicest buildings were nowhere near this Lavish.

"Speaking of which, where is Sparky?" Toph asked Iroh.

"I sent a young worker to go retrieve him. I can't image he'll be in his meeting much longer."

As if on cue, a young brown haired woman came shuffling around the corner and up to the general.

"General Iroh," she bowed.

"Come now, Ming! It's only me, no need for such formalities," Iroh said warmly. "Now, where is my nephew? Were you unable to find him?"

"No, my lord, I found him. He said he wished to speak with you in his study." Iroh slumped and sighed at this. Apparently, this isn't what he wanted to hear. He tried to lot the disappointment show on his face when he turned back to the group of five.

"I will return shortly, and hopefully with Zuko. For now, make yourself at home."

The gaang stood around uncomfortably, afraid to break anything, for a few moments before dispersing around the large room they had walked into. Suki and Aang quietly looked at the paintings on some of the vases and talked about how beautiful the flowers were while Toph and Sokka made faces in the marbled floor. Yeah, it was really like no time at all had passed with those two. Toph was still twelve at heart, just like Sokka was still a goofy fifteen year old at heart.

Katara, on the other hand, made her way down the hallway Iroh had left. In that hallway there were portraits of every firelord dating back ten generations. She made her way down the hall, most of the faces and names she didn't recognize; they all just looked like angry old men. Once she reached the seventh one, however, she knew exactly who she was looking at; Sozin. He had a hardened look on his face. She could tell, even in this painting, that his eyes carried nothing but hatred and pure evil. This had been the man who wiped out an entire race of people. This is the man who started a war that lasted an entire century and made so many people suffer. The next man, she did not recognize, but knew that was Azulon, as she had heard that name before. Then next was all too familiar, Ozai. He had the same look of pure evil Sozin did. Katara couldn't imagine anyone being as hateful and evil as Ozai, but there he was. He could rot in that prison cell for all she cared. He caused her family and her friends so much suffering. He deserved whatever he got. The final portrait evoked different emotions, it was the nation's current Firelord, Zuko. She could tell this was an older painting, he still looked to be in his teen years here. His hair was pulled back in a top knot, and unlike any of the previous firelords, he had warmness in his eyes. Even in the painting, Katara could tell that this was a man of honor, compassion, and good.

"Katara?" said a voice to her left. It was Aang who had made his away from the shenanigans of the other three.

Katara tensed up, she knew what this was probably going to be about and she didn't particularly want to deal with it. Even though Aang was eighteen now, she still saw him as the same little boy she met in the iceberg.

"Hey, Aang," She smiled, albeit, a little uneasily.

"Look, I know we haven't really talked one on one since we broke up, but I'd really like to."

Katara shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want to hurt Aang again, but there really wasn't much to talk about was there? There wasn't going to be anything romantic between the two of them anymore, Katara already decided this. But at the same time, she knew this is something he probably had been wanting to do for awhile, and denying him that was only going to make it worse.

"What is it?"

"I guess...I don't know, I just never got a really full reason as to why we broke up. I think you're right, we moved too fast," Aang grabbed her hands and clasped them in his own. "But that doesn't mean we can't try again," he smiled.

"Aang, I-" Katara started.

There was a loud crash that came from the main room. The two looked over quickly to see a pot shattered on the ground with dirt and flowers spilling onto the polished floor. "Sokka!" Suki scolded. It looked as if Sokka and Toph had been roughhousing and one of them got shoved into the expensive decoration. Katara shook her head and brought her palm to her forehead. Her brother could be such an idiot sometimes, but now that Toph was here to encourage this behavior it would be like this the entire time they were together.

Aang laughed and looked to Katara. "You don't need to answer me now. But I'm not going to stop trying," Before Katara could say anything, the young airbender blasted himself over to where his friends were and began to help pick up the pieces while Suki apologized to the servants who came rushing to help clean up the mess.

"What do you mean you thought "I could use a vacation?" Zuko said angrily.

"Exactly that, my nephew. It is the time of the Peace Festival, you should be relaxing," Iroh tried to explain.

"I can't just _relax,_ Uncle. Ozai didn't exactly leave a flourishing and happy nation behind," Zuko fumed.

"I know, but this is what advisors are for, this is what _I_ am for. You are only twenty two nephew and I can see several gray hairs popping in."

Zuko ruffled his hair annoyed and let out a breath of hot air. "Uncle. I understand, but there's just a lot going on right now."

"Are you still receiving threats?" Iroh asked, suddenly very serious.

Since the war had ended, times had never been more peaceful in the Fire Nation. However, things just don't change overnight. While most people are happy and prospering at the new way things are working, there are still many who preferred the old ways, Ozai's ways. The Phoenix King loyalists, as they were dubbed, were keen on sending threats to Zuko. They started off small, with threats to destroy monuments, but it soon grew to government buildings, to threats to kill Zuko himself. Zuko tried not to worry himself with this to much, since their threats were always empty. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh.

"Yes, but it's nothing. There's just a lot of _other_ stuff on top of that."

"Nothing too pressing that my nephew won't let me and some other trusted advisors take over," Iroh said patting Zuko on his back. Now, you will be having dinner with your friends tonight."

Zuko sighed. There really was no use in fighting Iroh; once he had his mind set on something, that's what was happening. He supposed he'd just have to trust him and go with the flow.

"This is your room, Lady Katara," the young servant girl said to Katara bowing. "All of your things have already been brought here and if you need anything, I will come and help you. Dinner will be served in the dining hall in a few hours. I will come knocking at your door when it is time."

"Thank you," Katara smiled warmly. "What's your name, again?"

"M-Ming, my lady."

"Well, thank you very much Ming," Katara said before adding, "and you don't have to call my "my lady," Katara is just fine. I'm no lady."

"Yes, my apologies my- er Katara," Ming bowed again before scurrying off to do whatever it is she does.

Katara shook her head and smiled before she turned to open the giant doors that led to her room. What she saw she almost couldn't believe. The room was easily the size of her common living space back at her hut. Expensive tapestries and and curtains hung around the room. The bed was enormous! Katara imagined she could fit the entire gaang in that one bed and still have space to move around. The sheets were red silk with small cold tassels on the end of each corner. Katara made her way cautiously over to the bed, almost afraid that she would somehow tear or break something. It was smooth and cool to the touch. Firebenders probably liked having cold sheets on them, she guessed. To her left, there was a giant window she could sit in if she wanted that looked out to the sea. It must've been a beautiful view on a full moon.

Katara was getting ready for the evening after she settled in. She looked at herself in the large golden mirron that was propped next to her bed. She looked fine for any other time or occasion, but this just wouldn't do for tonight. Her nerves were starting to get the better of her again. Maybe it was the hair?

Katara tried probably three different styles and ways of doing it, but ultimately let out a frustrated grunt and threw her hair ties on the floor.

"God! Why am I like this?" she lamented. Just then she heard a light knocking at her door. She went to go open it to find Ming holding a bundle of red fabric in her hands. She started to bow, but then stopped herself when she felt Katara give her a look that said 'knock it off!'

"General Iroh wished to make the Firelord's friends feel as welcome as possible. He sends you this gift in hopes that you will wear it to dinner tonight," Ming said, handing over the silk.

"Wow, I don't know what to say," Katara said taking the gown. It was only seven short years ago the Fire Nation was the fearsome and ruthless nation in the world; who would have thought they would be so generous?

Ming stood there in the door for awhile. Katara looked at her shifting uncomfortably in her spot. "Oh, uh...you can go." With that, the young girl bowed and ran off.

Katara made her way over the mirror again and stepped out of her casual water tribe garb and slipped into the general's gift. It was a simple red kimono, but it was beautiful. It hung off of her shoulders and tied gracefully around her waist with a thick gold ribbon. There was a small gold trim that went along the cuffs on the long, wide sleeves that resembled flames but other than that, it wasn't anything flashy. However, that was when Katara noticed probably the most expensive piece of jewelry she had ever seen; a gold necklace that had been placed on her wardrobe. It was an intricate dragon that would hang around her neck with rubies for eyes. Katara clasped the necklace together and looked at herself. If it wasn't for her obvious water tribe features, she looked like she could have been born a Fire Nation aristocrat.

After about another forty minutes of fiddling with her hair, she finally just decided to leave it in the typical half up half down with hair loopies she wore just about everyday. While her hair remained simple and casual, she still looked like a true lady. Katara had a hard time pulling herself away from her mirror for she was pretty pleased with how she looked.

"Oh, hey Zuko. Long time no see," she said to herself coyly. "Yes, tell you uncle thank you for the gift it _is_ quite lovely," she said laughing as if she had been complimented. She then looked at herself and shook her head. Geez, she was turning into Sokka.

Katara then heard a light rapping at the door. It was Ming again, here to to escort Katara and her friends to the dining area. The rest of her friends were given gifts as well, but none looked quite as dressed up or fancy as Katara. The were all wearing red versions of what they normally wore. The only noticeable difference is that Toph was somehow convinced to wear her hair down.

They were ushered into the dining, which like everything else she had seen, was immaculate. The table was long and porcelain. How was anything not broken? The chairs were all hand carved mahogany with red cushions. The head of the table's chair however was much larger and golden; the Fire Lord's seat.

Suddenly the realization that Zuko would be sitting there in just a few moments was enough to make her nervous again. Surely she wasn't the only one nervous about this encounter? Maybe it was just excitement. Yeah, she was _excited_ to see her old friend again, they all probably were.

Everyone rushed to sit down, anxious for real meal after all the traveling they did. Katara sat down and Aang promptly sat down in the chair directly to her left and gave her a weak smile. Katara returned his smiled, but sighed inwardly. She really hoped he wasn't going to be like a lovesick puppy seal this entire trip. To her right sat the elaborate golden chair where Zuko would be sitting. It made her nervous, no, _excited_ , and she had a lot of catching up with him she wanted to do.

Everyone was silent and looking towards the door in anticipation of seeing their old friend again. No one had really seen him since the comet other than Aang when he would stop in the Fire Nation every now and then for Avatar business, but that was still around 3 years ago. Aang scooted his chair a little closer to Katara and smiled.

"Katara, you look-"

Katara could only imagine what compliment was going to come out of his mouth when they heard the door open. Everyone's eyes immediately fixated on the noise, waiting to see their old friend turning around the corner. First came General Iroh, who was looking back and joking. Not far behind him, followed a much different looking Zuko.

Katara heard the rumors, as everyone else probably had, about how he looked, but this was not at all what she had expected. Her heart was racing and he made his way closer. He looked even _better._ He stood taller than even her own father. She figured if she stood right next to him, she would only come to his chin. His hair was longer than it had been the last time she saw him. His hair was pulled in thick top knot, but she could tell it had grown since she saw him last. He glided gracefully over to the chair next to Katara and gave her a small smile. His face had changed a lot too. Zuko always had good looking, despite the scar, but he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was epitome of power and strength. His jaw was chiseled and his eyes seemed to glow gold. And his _smell._ He smelled like a mix between roses and a bonfire.

"Katara," she heard Aang say next to her.

"W-what? I'm sorry what, Aang?" Katara sputtered. Well, that was extremely

embarrassing.

"They asked what you wanted to drink," Aang gestured towards the young male server who looked too nervous to ask a third time what she had wanted to drink.

"Oh, uh just a water is fine."

"Well I'll have the fanciest fire whiskey you've got!" Sokka exclaimed. Suki shook her head disapprovingly next to him but Toph shouted in agreement. The server left with the promise that all the food would be out shorty.

"Wow Zuko, you're even _sexier_ than everyone says," Toph teased. Katara's choked on her water. How could she just _say_ that? I mean, she was thinking it but still!

"Toph!" Katara started to scold.

"Ha ha good one," Zuko said dryly. Oh, that's right. Sometimes Katara forgot Toph was blind, but Zuko never seemed to.

"Dang, I thought maybe you would've fallen for it after all these years," Toph tsked. "Oh well, I'm sure other people are thinking it." Katara cursed Toph under her breath. Then again, Suki was probably thinking the same thing. Zuko just shifted uncomfortably.

"It is really great seeing you again," started Suki, hoping to bring in some normal conversation.

"Yes, it is really nice. I'm sorry I couldn't greet everyone at the docks," he said tiredly. While he was extremely handsome, Katara could tell that he was under a lot of stress. He had a heavy dark circle around his one good eye and some of his jet black hair had begun to turn silver. He was also beginning to develop little frown marks.

"No, worries. Once a jerkbender, always a jerkbender," said Sokka, trying to act offended. Zuko could tell he was kidding and offered a light chuckle.

"Actually, I had no idea you guys were coming at all."

"What?" Katara confused. She looked over at Iroh who was sinking in his chair ever so slightly.

"What can I say? My nephew misses his friends, an uncle can just tell," Iroh offered. Zuko just rolled his eyes. He was trying to act annoyed, because this was all probably very inconvenient for him, but she could tell he appreciated it.

"How is everything going here?" Aang asked. Katara was genuinely interested. Word travels fairly slowly to the south, but she had never heard of one mishap from the Fire Nation, which had to have counted for something.

"Good, actually. People are finding jobs rebuilding what has been lost from the war, taxes are surprisingly low, poverty rate has gone down drastically, and it seems like people are, overall, a lot happier and better off," Zuko seemed to rattle off. This all sounds like something he has said a thousand times at different meetings.

"How are _you_ doing?" asked Katara.

Zuko released a big sighed and then looked at her with a crooked smile. _Always so worrisome_ he thought to himself. "I'm doing alright," he offered. Katara didn't have to be Toph to tell that it was a blatant lie. But, she could hear Toph "tsk" in the background.

Soon, the food was brought out and of course, it was a lavish as everything else. There was food from every corner of the world sat on the table in front of them. There were sweets, meats, noodles, whatever anyone could have wanted was placed before them. Sokka lit up shoveled whatever he could into his mouth as if the bountiful feast could have been taken away from him at any moment. Katara sighed at the display who looked over at Zuko who seemed to have the shadow of a grin on his face. _He missed this._

"So, Zuko, where's Mai?" asked Sokka.

Whatever grin or pleasant feeling Zuko was displaying just a second before disappeared. His golden eyes flashed a look of sadness for just half a second. If Katara hadn't been looking at his face, she would've missed it. "She, uh. She doesn't live here anymore. I'm surprised you haven't heard. I supposed words getting out pretty slow."

Zuko was never one for displaying emotions, but Katara could tell he wasn't happy with it being brought up. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a look of sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Zuko." He offered a small smile in response to the gesture.

"Sorry to hear that Sparky," Toph added. "Can't say I was ever crazy about her though. She was so...bleh."

"Toph," Katara warned. Toph just shrugged and muttered something like well "well she was" under her breath. Zuko just shrugged and was thankful for the change in subject Katara brought on.

"So, what exactly is this festival? That's what we were all invited for here anyways."

"It's an annual festival we've called the Peace Festival. It happens every summer on the anniversary of the ending of the war. There's food, music, shows, dancing, art, whatever you can ask for," Zuko explained. "I'm mostly there just to start the whole thing off. I make a short speech about peace and start the festivities off. I'm usually too busy to actually go and participate."

"Which is why I asked you all here! I'm hoping you can convince my nephew to stop being so series and actually go and enjoy the festival," Iroh smiled warmly. His heart was always in the right place. He could tell his nephew had been lonely ever since Mai left. The stress of ruling a kingdom is a lot for one to deal with, its even harder when you feel as if you're on your own. He could only do so much to cheer his nephew up. It was time for people his age to do some of the cheering up.

"Alright, sounds like my kind of party!" Toph exclaimed which earned and enthusiastic high five from Sokka in agreement.

"Dancing, huh? I remember when that was looked down upon. I look forward to being able to show off my moves," Aang joked along.

"You would, Twinkletoes," Toph teased which earned a shrug from the smiling Avatar as if to say 'what can i say?'

"Maybe one of you will be able to get my nephew on the dance floor," if Katara hadn't known better, she would've said she saw Iroh shoot her a look as he said that. "Zuko could stand to loosen up a little bit."

"I'm sure he could. I bet you've gone stiff from sitting at a desk all day. I bet you're not half as good at bending as you used to be," Katara teased playfully. This earned an amused smirk from Zuko.

"Maybe, but I bet I could still beat you," he teased back with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Oh yeah? Prove it," Katara challenged.

"The sun's about to set, you'll have the advantage!"

"What, you scared?" she smiled. She knew Zuko wouldn't resist a challenge.

"You're on," he smiled back. It had been a long time since he fought a waterbender and he knew Katara would always give him a challenge.

"Alright! Let's take this party outside!" Toph whooped. "Time for an old fashion bending battle!"

 **Longer chapter! I plan on writing more over my winter break from school. I'll be finishing up tomorrow. Leave a review if you have the time! Thank ya'll for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

The gaang all made their way to the quartyard in the middle of the palace. This is where Zuko did most of his sparring and practicing, which he liked to do whenever he had the free time. However, the times he had been able to practice were few and far between this season and it had been almost a full week since the last time he was able to do any serious training. This did not bode well for him. Still, he couldn't help but accept the waterbender's challenge.

The two made their way to the center of the yard and stretched for their fight as everyone gathered around to watch, even some servants stopped to see what was happening. Granted, they weren't wearing the best clothes for this, but it had sort of been a heat of the moment challenge. Katara slipped out of the delicate golden slippers she had been given and gave the jewelry to Suki to hold on to. Zuko took the crown off of his head and handed that and the long cape he was wearing to Aang. As he took the crown, his topknot fell and he ran his fingers through his long shaggy hair to push his bangs out of his eyes. He gave Katara a smirk and got into a fighting stance.

Her heart pounded and she felt electricity courses through her veins just like he felt. Katara had been bending constantly for the past six years, but it was mostly just to teach. She was probably a little out of practice too, something she should have considered before challenging the firelord to a duel.

"Okay, first one to yield, loses!" Toph shouted with her arms in the year. After a few seconds of silence she threw both of her arms down fast and yelled "FIGHT!" like she was back in the fighting ring.

Katara quickly bent the water out of the animal skin she carried with her at all times to deflect the ball of fire Zuko had immediately shot at her. _He wasn't holding back._ As the steam cleared, Katara saw Zuko launching towards her with balls of fire in his fists. She dodged out the way quickly and bent her water into a whip like she was always so fond of doing. She lashed at him twice, he time the water evaporated into mist when he punched her attack away. Katara moved her arms in a sweeping motion, causing a wave of ice to be created and she maneuvered herself around Zuko's body. He turned on his heels, slightly missing her with every punch he made. He smirked, he had missed this.

Katara landed on the grass and ran as she pushed a wave of water back at him, tossing his equilibrium off a bit. Zuko wasn't considered a master firebender for nothing, though. He turned on the ball of his foot and sent a flame spiraling towards Katara that she was barely able to dodge.

Katara heard a servant in the audience gasp. She had hardly noticed the amount of people they had drawn to one another. The two of them were fighting between streams of blue and gold surrounded by steam that hit whenever the two elements clashed. The way they were able to dodge each others attacks at just the right time mixed with the beautiful golden hue that would flash against Katara and her water every time Zuko shot fire made the display seem like a dance. The moon was high in the sky, but Zuko stayed as evenly matched as an opponent to Katara's surprise.

Zuko was starting to tire. With the setting of the sun, Zuko's bending quickly started to decline in quality. He bounced back a couple of inches after the last wave of water Katara sent flying his way. _No way she was getting the better of him_ he smiled to himself.

Katara felt her power grow, she danced around Zuko with ease, was able to land a few good hits on him. Once he really started to lose balanced, she grinned. _I got him now._

"Hah! Got you Zu-"

Just as Katara was about to start gloating, she slipped on the long dress she was wear and fell right into Zuko. The force as which she hit him was hard enough to send both of the tumbling to the ground. She picked her head up to look him in the face, but before she could, he flipped her over onto her back and looked down at her with a triumphant smile on his face. She tried to move her hands out from underneath him to push him off, but he was too quick and grabbed her wrists and held them above her head. She struggled a bit before meeting her eyes with his. He had a look of mischievousness that brought her back to the days when they were young. She could hear the thumping of her heart and gulped. She could get lost in those eyes forever. Just then she heard Toph chuckle, and that snapped her right out of it.

"Alright, I yield I guess," Katara muttered.

Zuko nodded in victory and helped her to her feet. "I told you I could still beat ya," he winked. Katara blushed.

"Yeah whatever, you just got lucky. Can't say the same will happen to you next time."

Katara dusted her kimono off and was soon surrounded by her friends. Suki came over and clasped the necklace back around Katara's neck for her.

"See, that's, why I never wear those things," Toph said. "You totally would've gotten him if it weren't for this stupid thing."

"Thanks Toph," Katara smiled. Aang walked over and placed his hand on her right shoulder which made her heart sink.

"Well, it really suits you I think," Aang said sincerely. Katara offered a crooked smile in response to the compliment.

Before she could give thanks, a loud _bang_ went off over their heads. They all looked up to see bright bursts of color filling the sky. Katara's smile widened as she saw the fireworks flash different shades of gold, red, green, and blue.

Zuko looked upon the girl he had just bested in a match and saw the wide smile that was plastered across her face. Her blue eyes reflected the colors of the fireworks. There was something about her that was always really intriguing to him. She had really blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She had grown a little taller but her curves really filled out nicely, Zuko could tell due to the low cut kimono she was dressed in. Her face had shaped out and showcased her striking Water Tribe features beautifully. Her bright blue eyes, plump soft lips, and long wavy brown hair must have drawn so many men to her. She was always a pretty girl, but she was gorgeous now. Zuko couldn't bring himself to look away from the waterbender with the lights dancing in her eyes.

"Beautiful, huh?" Iroh said coyly next to Zuko.

"What is?" Zuko coughed, his train of thought derailed.

"The fireworks! They are my favorite part of this festival. What a beautiful thing to have the night before," Iroh smiled widely and looked sideways at Zuko. "Why, what did you think I meant?" That comment earned a blush and a shrug from the regal firelord.

The gaang all looked up at the fireworks and argued over which firework looked the coolest. Toph made a joke about she how didn't see what was so great about them which, once again, Sokka seemed to not get at first. Zuko walked over next to Katara and rocked back and forth on his heels awardly, not knowing how to start up a conversation.

"Do you like it?"

"What, the fireworks?" asked Katara. "Yeah, they're gorgeous!"  
"No, uh the necklace, actually," Zuko said rubbing the back of his neck. "But, yeah the fireworks too."

"Oh," Katara said looking down at the piece of jewelry that rested on her collarbones, "Yes! Its beautiful! Tell your uncle thank you."

"Actually, that's from me," Zuko smiled. "I uh, meant to send for your twentieth birthday, but I just never got around to it. Sorry about that, I didn't forget."

Katara touched the necklace lightly. _Zuko_ picked this out for her? Aang had never even gotten her something that nice while they were dating. That was probably an airbender thing, though. They were sort of raised to believe in not having material things so the most she got out of Aang was something handmade, which was still thoughtful. Katara would never _not_ like the gifts Aang got her, but there was just something special about receiving something like this.

"Zuko, that is really sweet. Thank you," she smiled as she gently placed a hand on the fidgeting firebender's arm which earned her a warm smile.

After the show ended, the gaang strolled into a large lounge-like area. There were several large cushions that looked to be meant for sitting. At least, that's what Aang and Sokka saw it as and immediately sprawled out on top of them. Suki came and sat on Sokka's lap and snuggled into his embrace. The two of them had broken up a few times, the distance thing was difficult, but they always seemed to find a way back to each other. Toph excused herself and promised she'd be right back. Zuko and Katara took the red couched that was placed in the middle of the room.

"Well, I am afraid I am not as young as I used to be, and I simply can't stay up as long as you all," Iroh stretched with an exaggerated yawn. "I'm going to retire for the night, but I hope you all have some time to catch up."

"Goodnight, Iroh!" Aang waved.

"Thank you again for having us," Katara said graciously.

"Of course," smiled the old man. "You are welcome here as long as you wish," he winked and before Katara had time to really process what that meant, he turned and left.

Almost as soon as Iroh left, Toph sauntered into the room, slamming the door behind her. She had a smug grin on her face and was clearly holding something behind her back. "Guess what I got?"

They all looked at each other and shrugged. Toph then pulled two large bottles of a clear elixher that read 'Dragon's Spit' on the label and laughed "Whatever alcohol this is!"

Zuko's eyes widened, immediately recognizing the bottle. He and Mai went through _half_ of one of those on her eighteenth birthday and he still isn't quite sure what happened. All he remembered was waking up to the sound of Mai vomiting. "Toph, where did you get those?"

"I asked one of your kind workers around here for two bottles of the strongest drink they've got," Toph gloated. Sokka eagerly took a bottle from Toph's hand and took a swig. The look on his face was not something they'd soon let him forget. Sokka swallowed hard and made a repulsed gag.

"ACK, what _is_ this!?" Sokka said with his tongue out. Suki giggled next to him, taking the bottle out of his hands. She smelled it and wrinkled her nose.

"That's Dragon's Spit. It's like, 95% alcohol. You're really not supposed to drink it on it's own," Zuko explained. Even the smell of it made him feel queasy. The memories from the night he drank may be hazy, but he remembers the hangover all too well.

"Well, where's the fun in that? Besides, you can't mix drinks for a drinking game," Toph laughed.

"I don't know, Toph...if Zuko says we shouldn't," Aang started off. He had never really been one for drinking, The monks didn't say you _couldn't_ do it, but it was frowned upon.

"C'mon Aang, I think it'll be fun. Besides, it's one way to catch up after all this lost time," Katara smiled taking the other bottle from Toph. She unscrewed the top and took a smell. Just like Suki, she recoiled back in disgust. _Holy shit._

"That's what I'm talking about Sweetness!" Toph said clapping her hands together and then pointing at Katara. She eagerly sat on the floor across from the couch Katara and Zuko were seated on, connecting the circle of seats.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Zuko said. "What are we playing?"

"How about 'never have I ever?' The other Kyoshi Warriors and I play it all the time," Suki suggested. "You say something you've never done, and if someone else has, they take a swig."

"Oh this oughta be GOOD!" Toph said rubbing her hands together.

"I'll go first," volunteered Aang. It was clear the young boy didn't want to drink, so he would say something he's never done first. "I've never lived in the South Pole."

Sokka cringed, knowing he had to take another swig of the drink."Dammit Aang, that's hardly fair."

Sokka took a large drink and quickly passed it over to Katara before letting out a loud breath. Katara held the glass bottle in her hand and took a deep breath in before taking a swig to match her brother's. The alcohol burned the back of her throat and sent heat down her body. _What is this?_ Katara stuck her tongue out and made a disgusted face.

"Ugh! What the hell?" she managed to spit out. Toph laughed across from her, holding her stomach. _What was she laughing at?_

"Oh Sweetness! What's the matter? Can't handle your alcohol either?" Toph laughed.

"You know what? I'll go next," snapped Katara. "Never have I ever been _blind."_ Katara sat back smugly. _That'll show her._

Toph just shrugged and smiled. Grabbing the bottle that currently had not been touched and took a swig that made Katara want to gag just watching her. Just like Katara and Sokka, she pulled back and gagged.

"ACK! What the _HELL?"_ sputtered Toph, which made everyone laugh.

"I'm next!" volunteered Sokka, who was already light headed from the two shots he had taken. "Never have I ever kissed a dude."

Katara, Suki, and Toph all took a swig. Suki looked like she was ready to spit it out before choking it back and shaking her head. They all looked at Toph, surprised.

"Toph, you've kissed?" Katara said teasingly, words starting to slur.

"What? I'm eighteen, of course I have," Toph said defensively.

"Okay! I'm next!" declared Suki. "Never have I ever kissed a moon princess."

"C'mon Suki, why are you doing this to me?" Sokka sighed as he took another painful drink. Suki just giggled at her boyfriend's apparent misery.

They all looked to Zuko, the only one who had not said anything yet. He considered for a moment before saying "Never have I ever been the Avatar."

Aang's faced dropped. He knew he would have to drink eventually. He took a sheepish drink, but that still was a lot for him. His eyes widened and he spit it out immediately. "Ugh, Zuko your people drink this stuff?"

Zuko shrugged with a light smile on his face. "I told you, you're not supposed to drink it on it's own."

"Alright. Well uh, never have I ever...uh," Aang paused to think for a moment before shrugging and saying "been a girl?"

Suki, Katara, and Toph all sighed again, reluctantly taking a drink. Katara was _really_ starting to feel it. Her eyesight began to get blotchy and she felt like the room was starting to spin, even if just ever so slightly. Or, maybe that was just her body swaying.

"O-Okay. Okay. Okay, I'm goin' next," Toph slurred. She was a lot smaller than everyone else. Three drinks was more like five to Sokka and Katara.

Katara slowly shook her head and pointed her finger and her friend "No, Toph. It's _my_ turn."

"Shut it, Sugarqueen. _I'm_ goin' anyways," Toph said slowly. "NEver I have been a nonbender," she put her arms out as if to say "there ya go" and leaned back on the her hands.

Suki and Sokka both took a drink which seemed to send Sokka to just about where Toph was. "Why do you all _hate_ me so much?" he complained. "You know _what?"_ Sokka said turning towards Aang. "Never have I ever spit this drink out."

Aang sighed and woefully took a drink, careful to not spit it out this time. The poor boy looked like he was going to be sick, his face beginning to turn red. "I-I don't think I like this game," he hiccuped. Already, the Avatar was feeling the affects.

"Well that's _tooOoOoo_ bad, Twinkletoes," Toph shouted. Katara tried to shush her but ended up just laughing at the boisterous Earthbender.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Katara noticed Zuko sitting comfortably with a grin on his face. She watched him as a light chuckle escaped his lips and she narrowed her eyes and her lips turned upward in a smile.

"ZUKO!" Katara shouted. Stopping him mid laugh. He raised her brow at her. "You have sure been just a little too comfortable. It's _my_ turn and I do say that I have never been Firelord," she said crossing her arms in a triumphant smile.

Zuko took the bottle, held it to his lips and pressed his eyes together before taking a large drink. He shook his head after he swallowed, the taste was not something he was particularly fond of. "Alright, I probably deserved that."

"She's r-right!" Suki exclaimed. "Never have I ever lived in the Fire Nation!"

Zuko reluctantly took another drink. He was pretty sure he saw where this was going. He didn't even bother to put the bottle down.

"Never have I ever tried to hunt the Avatar!" Aang shouted. Zuko took a drink.

"NEver have I ever dated Mai!" added Sokka. Zuko took a drink.

"Neverrrr have I everrrr burrrrned someone's feet!" Toph chimed, still a little bitter at the time he accidently burned her's. Zuko took a drink.

"Guys, it. I-it's _my_ turn," Zuko stuttered feblely, desperate to stop this attack.

"Never have I ever had a scar on my face!" Sokka interrupted.

Zuko sighed, really not wanting to take a sixth shot. But Katara held the bottle up to his lips and laughed. "C'mon Zuko!"

" _What?"_ Toph said suddenly. "Sparky's got a facial scar?"

"Yeah, it's _huge!"_ exclaimed Aang. Zuko made a face, but no one really noticed, and if they did, they thought it was just because he didn't want to keep drinking.

" _WOAH!"_ Toph exclaimed. "How did you get it?"

"Toph, that'ssss obviousss" Sokka tried to explain. He then realized, he didn't actually have a reason. "Wait. How _did_ you get that thing? You screw up a firebending technique?"

"Hah!" Toph laughed "bet it just blew up right in his face!" everyone chuckled along as she dramatically reenacted what it might have been like. Katara looked over at Zuko who had a dark expression on his face.

" _Was_ it a training accident?" asked Katara curiously. This seemed like something he really didn't want to talk about.

This notion was backed up by him standing up, almost falling over in the process, and saying "I don't feel very good. I'm just gonna sleep."

"Zuko," Katara reached out, grabbing on to his robe. He looked back at her, golden eyes betraying his stoic nature. She could see the hurt. They were just joking, usually Zuko wasn't sensitive to stuff like that. How _did_ he get that scar?

He gently pulled out of her grip and walked out of the room without saying another word.

"What's gotten into him?" Sokka asked.

Katara chased after him, hoping she could catch him before he made it to his room.

"What gotten into her?" Sokka asked again, looking around at his drunk friends who all seemed just as confused.

 **A/N I really put off studying today and uploaded two parts because I hate myself lol Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review if you can! Thanks and much love!**


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko made his way clumsily down the empty hallway. His coordination may have been off, but suddenly Zuko was feeling a lot more sober. He shook his head. Perhaps he was being dramatic. Afterall, he had known his friends for years but he had never actually told them the story of how he got his scar. He had known all of their tragedies for just about the duration of their friendship. However, now really wasn't the time for him to be talking about this sort of thing. He was drunk. Learning to control his emotions was something Zuko struggled with for a good portion of his adolescence. Now that he felt like he had final mastered the art of being in control, he really wasn't ready to show some vulnerability about a childhood trauma he was sensitive about. He decided that crying in front of his friends after he hadn't seen them for six years wasn't something he really wanted to risk.

"Zuko!" Zuko heard Katara shout from the room from which he came. He turned to see the young waterbender drunkenly running down the hallway after him. The king stopped his shuffling and turned to face the waterbender. Once she caught up to him, she placed her hand on his arm as if to catch her breath.

"I'm...I'm sorry," Katara apologized. She looked up at him with her big blue, fluttering orbs and with a sincere look of sympathy on her face. She gripped his bicep even tighter. "I know Sokka and Toph can be a little insensitive."

"Yeah," Zuko said looking away from the young girl grabbing his arm. "It's alright. I know they don't mean any harm."

"You're right, but still. They should know better. They always take things just a little too far," Katara tried to comfort. She was still extremely dizzy and was having a hard time being able to see, but she could still see the solemn look on the firebender's face as he turned away in discomfort. "Zuko, are you alright?"

"Yeah, like I said I'm just not feeling well," Zuko lied. Katara seemed to not buy it so he offered her an unconvincing smile. Katara still seemed to want to fight him about his feelings, but she looked like she might keel over at any minute. As she started to loosen her grip and slump down to the floor, Zuko scooped her up to support her. "Come on, I'll walk you to your room."

"Zuko, no I wanna talk," Katara tried to protest, but her body betrayed her. She was really starting to feel woozy, though; her face was probably a sickly green. Zuko looked down with a smile and began to usher her to her room. The whole time Katara kept repeating that she was sorry and that he should really learn to talk about his feelings.

When the final made it to her room, Katara looked as if she might pass out. Sensing the fatigue of the girl in his arms he gently brought her over to her bed and laid her down. As his arms slipped out from underneath her, he felt her arms wrap around his neck and drawing him in for an embrace.

"Zuko, you don't need to talk. But, I'm here when you're ready to," Katara said into his ear, sending a tingling sensation down his spine. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, bent over the bed trapped in the waterbender's arms, but he eventually returned the hug best he could.

"Thank you, Katara," Zuko whispered tenderly, pulling away. He looked down at the smiling waterbender. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Her eyes seemed to glow the most magnificent blue.

She placed her hand over Zuko's scar and just held it there for awhile. She could feel him tense as she brought her hand to the coarse surface of his face. It felt scaly and rough. The burn was deep enough that it never had time to properly heal and the smoothness of his face never returned.

Zuko knew it was an ugly sight to behold. It was harsh and an unpleasant reminder of his troubling and regrettable past. He had to look at himself everyday and it served as a constant indication of every mistake he's ever made. Most people recoiled at the sight of the burn. When he first returned to the Fire Nation, Mai hadn't seen him with his scar. She tried acting like it didn't bother her, everyone had heard of how the banished prince was disfigured, but it took awhile before Mai finally stopped recoiling every time she felt it brush against her skin.

Katara had touched the scar before, but only with the intention of healing. Now she was just resting her hand on the rough patch of skin. She didn't say anything, she just looked at him through her tired hooded eyes with a look of sympathy and understanding. For a brief moment, Zuko relaxed into her hand and closed his eyes. He grabbed her wrist and held it in place for a few seconds, relishing the tender touch. But only for a moment.

Zuko gently laid Katara back in her bed and covered her with her sheets before he saw the waterbender's eyes flutter shut. Zuko quietly left the room, closing the doors softly behind him.

Zuko barely made it back to his room without passing out himself. He slipped out of his lordly attire and sprawled out on his cool silk sheets. Katara was always the one in the group who listened to other people's problems. That was sort of her thing, she was always so set on not turning her back on people who seemed like they needed help; whether it actually needing someone to physically help, or just be there for emotional support. Even back in Ba Sing Se when they were in the catacombs together, Katara made an attempt to heal him after hearing about his mother. Granted he betrayed her later, but he often thought about that encounter. She was so quick to try and heal him, even after everything he put her, Sokka, and Aang through. Without a doubt, Katara was one of the most caring people he knew.

Zuko pondered this for awhile before he felt his eyes flutter shut. Alcohol usually just made him tired more than anything else. Soon the Firelord drifted into sleep.

 _There he stood, on a long stone platform surrounded by the most important people of the Fire Nation Court. Everyone there had a very serious expression plastered across their faces as if they knew what they were about to witness wasn't going to be much of a fight; they knew they wouldn't be there for long. If only he had known the same. He lowered himself to a fighting stance, ready to show that general that he was wrong. He was sure to prove himself now. No one would dare disrespect him after he put that heartless general in his place._

 _Then, there he came from the shadows, the face of the Fire Nation: Firelord Ozai, his own father. The high cheekbones, the narrow cold, reptilian eyes, the thin lips that were always either in a tight line or a large minical smile. Surely, this was a mistake. He couldn't fight him. He is the most powerful man in the nation and his own father. This had to just be some kind of lesson. This couldn't be real._

 _His only instinct was to beg for forgiveness. He could taste the saltiness of his tears as they streamed down his face in his pathetic attempt to beg for mercy. As the dark figure approached, Zuko looked down in panic, careful not to make eye contact._

" _Please father, I only had the best interest of the Fire Nation in mind."_

 _He didn't care how pitiful he looked. He could take the humiliation. In this moment, he didn't care if no one respected him ever again, he just wanted this to be over. This couldn't be real._

" _Fight for your honor," his father's voice boomed back at him. Nothing else mattered, he couldn't hear the chatter amongst the audience, he couldn't feel the sun beaming down on him, he could only see his father, he could only hear his father._

" _Please. I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son," he pleaded one last time._

 _He looked out to the crowd and saw a sea of stern faces, all ready to watch the thirteen year old prince receive his punishment. No one dared speak out, not even his own uncle. No one would wish for the same fate the prince was facing. There were only two faces that stood out in the crowd: Iroh's somber expression and Azula's minical smile. He almost didn't hear his father tell him to stand up and fight one last time._

" _You will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher."_

 _That's when it happened. Zuko looked up and saw a fist engulfed in a massive flame heading straight for his face. Time almost stood still in this moment; it was as if his father's strike was happening in slow motion. It got closer and closer before he could feel the tongues of the fire begin licking at the left side of his face._

Zuko screamed and lurched forward. He was shaking violently and covered in sweat. Even after all this time, the memory was enough to send him into a complete panic attack. His heart pounded and his breath was coming out in quick, short bursts. He shook his head and desperately tried to calm himself down enough and control his breathing. He heard someone banging on his door from the outside:

"Firelord Zuko! Is everything alright?" he heard one of his guards outside ask in a concerned voice.

"Yes, I'm fine," Zuko muttered, though loud enough for the man on the other side of the door to hear.

He brought his hand to the massive disfigurement on the side of his face. No matter how many years it had been, it's something that will always haunt him. The overwhelming pain he felt that radiated across the entire left side of his head when he was smacked across the face with a ball of fire was something he will remember for the rest of his life. He didn't have time to dwell on his dream for long, he had some paperwork to get to.

OoOooOOoOOoo

Katara's eyes fluttered open to be met with the sun flying high in the sky. The light beaming through her window surely wasn't what she wanted to wake up to. It felt like a herd of komodo rhinos has trampled her head and the late morning sunlight that made its way right into her bed made it even worse. As soon as she sat up, she realized she didn't just have a headache, but her stomach was really unhappy with her as well. She made a beeline to the bathroom before emptying almost all of the contents of what she had ingested the night before. She weakly brought her head up and put her face in her hands.

 _Why is that something you can actually drink? I didn't even have that much!_

Katara walked over to the bowl of water that was placed on a counter in her private bathroom. Even something so simple was beautiful and elegant.

Katara couldn't really remember how she had gotten back to her room. Katara very rarely drank. She was of age, but she never really had the opportunity, usually she was the one looking out for others in their drunken stupor, in other words, she was used to babysitting Sokka when he had too much to drink. She only ever drank during special occasions, and it wasn't like she drank to get drunk. The only other time she remembers being anywhere near what she felt the night before was on the night of her eighteenth birthday. Suki had brought her a bottle of Moonlight that she could have all to herself. It didn't take long before Katara was reeling. Aang had visited at the time and she was sure he had to do most of the babysitting then. She woke up the next day with a monster of hangover and the young Avatar giving her whatever he could think to give her to make the pain stop.

All she remembered is waking up to the blinding light that was peeking through her window and directly over her eyes. _Damn firebenders. I get rising with the sun and all but, c'mon! Who would want a window like this?_ She tried to replay the events that occured the night before. She vaguely remembers her young earthbending friend coaxing them into playing a drinking game which is where it all went south. If she remembered right, Zuko and Sokka were even able to get Aang to take a few drinks. By the end of the night, everyone was feeling the effects and Katara was honestly just relieved she didn't wake up with anyone, especially if Aang was the one who brought her back to her room. Katara only hazily remembers the night being brought to a somewhat halting stop because of something someone said. Knowing her friends, is was probably Sokka or Toph or a mixture of the two.

That's right, Zuko's scar. Toph and Sokka had been poking fun at him about it.

Before Katara could ponder the rest of her night, she heard a light tapping at the door that sounded more like banging due to her hangover. She groggily made her way over to the door to find Iroh smiling with a teapot and a tray holding a few porcelain tea cups.

"Good morning, miss Katara," Iroh said cheerfully. "I thought you might like some green tea."

"Thanks, Iroh," Katara said thankfully. "Have you seen the others?"

"Yes, I've given them all some tea as well. Based on what I saw Miss Toph bringing to you all last night, I figured you might feel a little under the weather," Iroh winked, handing her a small warm cup.

"You could say that," Katara grumbled. Katara drank the warm liquid. No one could make better tea than Iroh. After the cup was empty, Katara already started to feel better. Iroh most likely threw a mixture of herbs in the tea to help the overwhelming headache. Truly, was there anything this man couldn't do?

"The rest of your friends are out in the quartyard. I sent some servants to get you some breakfast. You mustn't go through the day with an empty stomach!"

"Thanks, Iroh," Katara said sweetly. "Are you coming with?"

"I would love to, but I must go check up on nephew," Iroh trailed off. Katara saw a look in his eyes that betrayed the large smile that was on his face; he seemed a little worried. Katara hadn't forgotten the letter Iroh sent in the first place.

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, I'm sure he is fine, you know how Zuko can be," Iroh started. Then he stopped and seemed to consider for a moment. "But, there are somethings that I just can't get out of him. My nephew can be so stubborn. When I went to wake him this morning, there seemed to be something troubling him."

Katara seemed to catch Iroh's drifted and nodded her head. "You want me to see if I can go talk to him?" It wasn't really a question. She and Zuko had a bond that she never thought was possible when they first met. The first interaction she had with the boy was him marching off his ship in full Fire Nation armor and demanding that she hand over all the elderly in her tribe. She _hated_ him. There were only a few people that Katara ever wished death upon: Yon Rha, Ozai, and Zuko. Traveling with the Avatar was already trouble enough, it seemed like whenever their group finally caught a break, Zuko would appear and ruin it by trying to take Aang away from them. However, as time passed on and allegiances were made and remade, things changed between the two. By the end of the war, Katara felt like she understood Zuko and connected to him on a deeper level. He never tried to change her and he respected her. To this day, she is still amazed at how far from the angry bald sixteen year old Zuko has become.

"If it wouldn't trouble you too much, Lady Katara. I would be most grateful, as would Zuko," Iroh paused. "Even though he might not seem like it at first."

"Yeah, don't worry I know how he gets. I can handle the hothead," Katara chuckled. "I spent the better half of my adolescence traveling the world with two boys...and Toph which almost made it worse."

Iroh laughed "Right you are, Miss Katara. Many thanks," Iroh handed her another small cup and filled it with hot teat. "Here, bring this to my nephew. He will be grateful. He is in his office, it's just down this hallway and to the left."

Katara nodded and turned to go face the Fire Lord. She was guessing Zuko was still probably pretty down about the way his scar was brought up. She supposed she always assumed it was some training accident gone wrong. Unlike the other elements, if you mess up while practicing you could end up permanently scarred. Water and air are relatively harmless, you might just walk away with your hair and clothing wrinkled or soaking wet; even Earth isn't as dangerous, worst case scenario is usually a bruise or maybe a broken bone. But with firebending, you could burn yourself pretty bad; it wasn't that far fetched that something like that had happened to Zuko. He had a hard time controlling his emotions, it was likely things got out of hand. However, based on how he reacted last night, Katara had a hard time believing her former notion.

Katara made her way down the hall where Iroh had directed her to go. It was the late morning and the palace was bustling with activity. Servants were rushing from room to room with piles of clothing, letters, and anything else the members of the court could need. Through the windows, Katara could see the workers in the gardens trimming hedges and watering flowers. There were also many generals and high ranking officials wandering around. They all carried the same stern expression and were old. They likely had been around since Azulon reigned, which made Katara weary. She tried to tell herself not to worry too much. She was a master waterbender and she was traveling with the Avatar as well as an earthbending master and two master warriors. On top of that, she was confident Zuko wouldn't let anyone hurt her. If that wasn't enough, there were guards posted at almost every door. No one who was a threat to her, her friends, or the Firelord would be getting in.

She made her way over to the door in which Iroh had told her was Zuko's office. She knocked lightly and slowly opened the door after she heard a muffled "yes?" from Zuko.

"Hey, Zuko. I brought some tea your uncle made for you," Katara smiled and she made her way over to his desk. He had looked tired when she saw him last night. But, he looked even worse. He hadn't even bothered to put his hair in a topknot and it was shaggy and tangled. The bags under his eyes were even more noticeable and he was even paler than usual. However, Katara still couldn't say he looked bad. She almost found this charming. Even though he was fighting a massive headache, he was still working hard. The tired man sat at a large wooden desk that was covered in untidy piles of papers. Other than a pile of signed forms that were _somewhat_ neatly placed to his right, it looked like a tornado had blown through the office.

"Thanks, uh," Zuko looked around for a spot for Katara to set the tea but found no such place. He awkwardly reached out for the cup, "I'll just take it."

"Wow, you've really got a lot to work on," Katara marvelled. "What is all of this?"

"It's a mixture of things. Public works requests, tax reforms, production updates, trade information, citizen complaints, audience requests, and uh," Zuko sighed. "Other stuff."

"Agni, they have you doing this all on your own?" Katara questioned. It didn't really seem fair that the palace was this heavily staffed but Zuko was the only one doing all of this.

"Yeah, that's what it means to be the Fire Lord," Zuko said pinching the bridge of his nose. He took a few sips of the tea that Katara had brought him and took a deep breath before flipping through the papers again. "Thanks again for the tea, I'm pretty sure all of your friends are in the courtyard. I think I heard Sokka yelling about something."

Katara frowned and placed her hand right in the pile of papers where Zuko's gaze had wondered. He looked up at her with a confused look on her face. "Zuko, I am not leaving without you. I'm going to do whatever I can to help minimize," Katara made a gesture towards the mountain of papers stacked before him, "this. Besides, I'm sure _our_ friends won't mind."

"Katara, it's okay you really don't have to," Zuko looked at the feisty waterbender who was looking down at him with determination. He really wasn't in the mood to fight with her, and knowing Katara it would be a fight he'd lose anyways. "Fine. Go ahead and pull up a chair," he sighed, shaking his head.

Katara obliged with a triumphant grin on her face. She was going to help Zuko finish this mess then she would cheer him up from last night. Oh yeah, she was the best.

The two spent upwards of two hours flipping through form after form of requests, complaints, and proposals. They didn't talk much, most likely from the hangover both of them were still experiencing. It was mostly just Katara asking Zuko for his signature or Zuko asking for advice on what to do with some of the citizen complaints. He valued what Katara had to say. She was the most caring person he knew and she would be able to tell if someone legitimately needed something, or if it could wait.

The pile became thinner and more manageable as time went on. As they were working, Katara noticed a small, green letter that smelled of lavender. Before Zuko could stop her, she grabbed the sweet smelling parchment and opened it.

"Oh, what's this?" Katara said in a teasing tone. Zuko's eyes widened as he tried to grab it back from her.

"Katara, please don't-"

" _Dear Firelord Zuko,"_ Katara smirked and cleared her throat.

" _Greetings honorable Firelord. We write you from House Bao Ma of Ba Sing Se. We know and respect you for your many great and heroic actions during the war. You have truly ushered in a time of peace for your nation and your work with the Avatar has ensured the rest of the world's balance as well. That being said, we hold you at most high esteem and wish for you to take the following into consideration: you are without a Fire Lady and our daughter, Que, is available. She is eighteen years old and a lovely singer. A marriage between the Fire Nation and a powerful Earth Nation family would ensure an alliance between our two great nations. Enclosed, is a portrait of her for you to see her true beauty. We hope for your careful consideration._

 _Respectfully,_

 _Shen Bao Ma"_

Katara then pulled out a portrait of a beautiful young girl. Her skin was pale and appeared to be soft. Her black, silky hair was pulled into an intricate updo with flowers and beads. Her eyes were a striking emerald green and even though it was just a painting, her eyes seemed to sparkle and match her sweet smile.

"Give me that," Zuko said ripping the letter out of Katara's hands. "I thought I got rid of all of these."

"Do you get a lot or something?" Katara asked. She couldn't help but cringe at the confrontational tone she had used. She wasn't sure why, but she felt a strange pull in the middle of her chest. Zuko nodded in response which just tightened the imaginary grip on her heart.

"Yeah, ever since people have been finding out about my current relationship status I am suddenly the most eligible bachelor there is." Katara could tell this wasn't him bragging. He was truly stressed out about the whole situation. There was so much already going on with his country, finding someone to spend the rest of his life with wasn't really his main concern. However, it made sense, if Zuko were to, Agni forbid, die, he would need an heir. Nonetheless, Katara felt for the Firelord. It must be hard to know you have to marry and not even have anyone in mind. Katara placed a comforting hand over his. He looked up from the letter and met her gaze. Her deep blue eyes met his striking gold ones and they sat like that for awhile before he grabbed her hand back. Katara offered him a smile and he gave a ghost of one back in response. At least that was something.

Katara placed the portrait of Que between the two of them and smirked at Zuko. "I mean, she _is_ beautiful. And apparently, a _lovely singer_ so that's basically Fire Lady material." Katara laughed.

"Shit, you're right I better send a hawk out right now," Zuko chuckled. "I'm sure she'd _love_ to find out that her father set her up with the disfigured Fire Nation leader."

Katara knew he was just joking, but it still hurt her to hear how Zuko thought of himself. Plus, it was pretty clear the scar thing from the night before was still bothering him.

"Zuko, no one thinks of you that way," Katara said softly.

"It's alright, Katara. I know what it looks like. I've seen it everyday for the past nine years. It's not exactly a dream come true to young girls like Que the lovely singer."

"Well, maybe not, but it's part of you," Zuko shifted, c'mon Katara that's not helping. "What I mean, is that, when I see your scar I don't think "gross." I think about who it belongs to and how wonderful, and honorable, and amazing that person is. Besides, no one says you're unattractive. My students, who have never _actually_ even seen you, talk about their wild fantasies involving you. I swear, if I have to hear them one more time." Zuko's face grew red and he cleared his throat. "The point is, she'd be one lucky girl if you picked her to be your Fire Lady," Katara finally said warmly.

"Thanks," Zuko said, still blushing slightly as he tightened his grip on Katara's hand.

Just then, a knock interrupted the handholding. "Yes?" Zuko called out.

A young man stepped forward and bowed to the the two of them before placing a scroll on the desk in between the two of them.

"Where is this from?" Zuko asked the messenger.

"I'm not sure, your grace. There wasn't anything attached," he remained bowed, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

Zuko's eyes quickly skimmed the message and his expression grew dark again. He frowned before rolling the scroll back up again.

"What did it say?" Katara asked.

"Nothing, it's not important," Zuko said sternly. "Why don't you go meet with the others. I have to finish preparing my speech for tonight's festival anyways."

"Zuko, it's obviously not nothing," Katara argued. "What is it?"

" _Nothing!"  
_ "Zuko, just tell me!"  
"I can't!" Zuko yelled. He took a deep breath in and rubbed his temples. "I can't talk about this right now, okay?"

Katara pressed her lips into a thin line and frowned. She knew that she obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with the frazzled firebender right now. "Fine. I'll see you tonight then," she said calmly before standing up and walking out the door in which she came. She might not get answers from Zuko, but she was going to get answers.

 **A/N I hope you all enjoyed! This is my longest part yet. I am on my winter break now. I got 3 A's and 2 B's god bless it. Please leave a review if you have the time! Thanks again so much for reading!**

 **-L**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I'm sorry about the long wait! I thought I was going to have more time over my winter break from school but work really kicked my ass. I worked over 40 hours each week and I barely had any time to myself at all. Anyways, I just wanna say thanks so much for leaving reviews! I love hearing what ya'll have to say so please continue to do so! Hope ya enjoy this chapter.**

 **ooooooooooooooo**

 _Fire Lord,_

 _Your time grows shorter. Your end is near. Watch your back. Your friends won't save you and neither will your uncle. Your pathetic reign will be over soon. Mention this to your friends and they die too. We have eyes in places you don't see._

 _Long Live the Phoenix King_

"Send for my uncle," Zuko told the messenger who was still bent in a shaky bow. He nodded and ran off to go fetch what the Firelord had requested.

Zuko rubbed in fingers in a circular motion over his temples. He felt bad for losing his temper against Katara, he shouldn't have yelled. But, he really was at wits end with these assassination threats. They were becoming more and more grave as they progressed and he was starting to think he might have to take some of these seriously. Still, Katara was only trying to help, yelling at her probably was in poor taste.

"What is it my nephew?" Iroh said as he came to sit in the chair that the waterbender had previously been occupying. "You should be out with your friends, you hardly ever see them."

"Uncle, I understand that rest is important, but I can't just _not_ run the nation," Zuko sighed heavily. Why didn't his uncle understand that this was more important than relaxation?

"You have plenty of advisors to help with this kind of thing. You don't have to worry yourself with every little mundane form. You're going to drive yourself crazy."

"I understand that, but I am not going to let people who sat around and served under Ozai make decisions that concern the livelihood of the nation," Zuko argued. In the beginning, he had been more willing to let other people help. But since he was getting threats, he began to fear that there was someone working from the inside. If that was the case, Zuko wasn't about to let all of his and the Avatar's hard work go to waste.

Iroh shot him a look of understanding. "Did you receive another threat?" Zuko nodded. "I thought you said they were nothing."

"They weren't, but they keeping getting more and more serious. And this one, seems like they aren't messing around anymore."

"Why don't you tell others about it?"

"I already have told some of my most trusted guards and advisors. They're looking for anyone on the inside who might still have connections to Ozai and Azula. They're being as thorough as possible. They still haven't found anything."

"Why not tell your friends?"

"I can't. The note specifically said not to. I'm not willing to risk their lives because I feel like I want extra protection."

"Zuko, they're master benders. You all took down armies together."

"I know, but this is different. We don't know who these people are, where they're hidden, or when they're going to strike. I'm not going to put their lives on the line. I just want extra security for them at all times."

Iroh looked like he wanted to argue further with his nephew but shut his mouth. He knew Zuko had a point. He would be sure that his nephew and all his friends remained as safe as possible. He nodded and left to go find the men in charge of distributing security. Zuko stood up and shuffled his remaining papers, including the threat, into a disorganized pile and shoved it to the right of his desk. He then made his way to his room in order to get ready for the festivities occuring that night and to prepare a speech.

OoooOoooO

Katara huffed as she stomped down the hallway to meet with her friends who were presumably still in the center of the palace. Really, she didn't understand why Zuko had such a hard time opening up when he needed help. She understood that he didn't want to be a burden on anyone, but there was nothing dishonorable about asking for help every once and a while.

She planned on telling her friends there was something bothering Zuko. She was sure they'd be nosey enough to find something out. Plus, she would get Toph and Sokka a stern talking to about making Zuko uncomfortable. Somewhere along the line, Katara missed a turn or something. She couldn't be sure if she was going the right way or not. This damn palace was just so big it was hard to tell where things were.

As Katara rounded a corner she had probably crossed a thousand times, she saw the young boy who had interrupted her and Zuko earlier. He appeared to be carrying something wrapped delicately in animal skin. He wiped a band of sweat before she began whispering to someone who was behind a wall, making it impossible for Katara to see who it was he was speaking with. Katara hid behind a nearby pillar in hopes of being able to hear a whisper of what was going on.

"Take…..Firelord…..no one," she heard a deep voice say from behind the intricate architecture.

"I….this?" were all the words she could hear the boy from earlier whisper. She saw him take something from the hidden figure, though she couldn't see what since it had been carefully wrapped in a cloth.

"It's…dipped….back of….," the mysterious man said again. There was a pause. She could tell the boy holding the knife was nervous. "If…..fail…..will be your last…"

"Please….I want….I will….go…"

"You'd better."

As Katara saw the boy run off she quickly whirled around the corner to see whoever was making threats. However, by the time she reached the meeting place, she saw that there was no one to be found. _How could anyone move so fast?_

Katara could feel that there was something wrong. She had planned on snooping around to see what the scroll contained that seemed to be bothering Zuko so much. It probably wasn't just some marriage arrangement. But, this seemed to be more important at the moment. Something was going on here.

Katara made her way back to Zuko's office but before she could pound on the door to be let in, she was stopped by a guard holding a large metal spear.

"Let me through, I need to speak to the Firelord," Katara frowned.

"No unauthorized personnel is allowed past this point."

"What? But, I was just allowed in here earlier that doesn't make any sense."

"We just got orders to keep a closer eye on the Firelord."

"Why?"

The large guard looked past Katara without saying anything. Even when Katara asked again, the guard avoided eye contact and it was clear that she wasn't going to get any further explanation out of him.

"Katara?"

Katara turned and saw Suki and Toph heading towards her. Despite the previous night, they both looked to be in fairly decent shape. It seems Iroh's miracle tea really worked its wonders. They were both dressed in their normal Earth Kingdom colors. However, both outfits were clearly made to withstand the unforgiving Fire Nation heat. Suki wore a short flowy green, cotton skirt and a long loose beige top while Toph sported green harem pants and a gold crop top. It was clear that Toph had been dressed by the servants as she constantly fidgeted with her short top, trying to pull it over her belly button. Toph normally wore clothes that covered her womanly features, this was clearly out of her comfort zone. Katara was surprised the servants were even able to get her into that.

"What're you up to Sweetness?" Toph asked. "This guard giving you trouble?"

"Yeah, this _idiot_ says he's under strict order to not let me speak to Zuko, even though it's important," Katara frowned. She had a bit of venom in her voice when she spoke. She hoped maybe this would shake the guard up a bit but he didn't so much as flinch.

"What is it?" asked Suki.

"I just saw some weird behavior between some palace workers," this seemed to get the guard's attention. His eyes shifted down towards the girls. Apparently, this was indeed important.

"Did you see who?"

"Some palace boy, he had dark hair," Katara explained. As she spoke, she realized she hadn't really gotten a good look at him either. Her description matched just about every person working for Zuko. The guard's eyebrows furrowed.

"And the other one?"

"I...didn't get a good look.." Great. Now her information sounded totally useless.

The guard sighed and return his gaze to the fix position they were in just above Katara's head. "I'll be sure the Firelord receives your _message_. Now, I suggest you leave. The Firelord is too busy for useless information," he said coldly.

Katara had half the mind to slap the man across the face for being so disrespectful. But she felt a soft hand wrap around her arm.

"C'mon Katara, you should really just get ready for the festival tonight. Besides, we'll see Zuko tonight. You can talk to him in person then," Suki pleaded, gently ushering her boyfriend's sister away from the difficult guard. Katara pressed her lips together and looked like she was about to protest before she sighed and walked with her friends to her room.

"So what was that all about?" asked Toph once they closed the door behind them. Suki just looked at Katara with a look of concern.

"I think Zuko might be in trouble," Katara tried to explain. Her friends gave her confused looks and she continued, "I was helping him go through letters earlier and he received a scroll and, I'm sure what it said, but something seemed up. I know there's something he's not telling us."

"Katara, no offense, but sometimes I really think you tend to overthink things," Toph said bluntly.

"What?" Katara sputtered. How could they just shrug something like this off? He was just as much their friend and he was her's.

"Toph has a point," Suki agreed shyly. "It's not always a bad thing though!" she added quickly when she saw the angry look Katara shot her.

"Zuko's never really been one for sharing. Maybe he just got something that was embarrassing and he didn't want you to see it," Toph said with her arms crossed. Katara considered this for a moment. Zuko never really cared to talk too much about his personal affairs. He had only ever showed vulnerability to her when they were in the catacombs talking about their mothers and when he had collapsed in front of his uncle's tent, ready to beg for his forgiveness. Other than that, Katara was certain Zuko never really talked about those sorts of things with anyone but his uncle. She also remembered the previous night when the origins of his scar came up. Zuko had quickly shut down the possibility of him revealing how that happened when it was brought up. Maybe Toph had a point.

"Maybe it was a letter from Mai," Suki shrugged. "He never really explained how that ended. The letter might have been from her and maybe it made him upset."

"Yeah, I guess that's possible," Katara considered. "But still, that doesn't explain why I heard the two men whispering about Zuko."

"He's the _firelord._ I'm sure there's a lot of things that go on here that are secret from everyone. I wouldn't think too much into it, Sweetness." Toph sighed.

"I suppose you have a point…"

"Great. And if you still want to talk to him about it, I'm sure you could mention it to him when you see him tonight at the festival," Toph said, clapping her hands together. As she did so, Ming quietly knocked at the door before slowly opening it up and entering with a bundle of blue cloth and a small box in her arms.

"Lady Katara, I've come to help prepare you for the festivities of the night," Ming said politely as she bowed.

"Ming, what did I say about bowing?" Katara smiled. Ming awkwardly straightened up and offered her a small smile of apology. "No need to be so formal."

"We'll let you get to it then," Toph said as her and Suki left the room together. "See you later, Sugar Queen."

Ming set the clothing out on Katara's bed and opened the beige box she had been holding. The outfit was similar to Toph and Suki's in that it was a Fire Nation styled outfit, but her was dyed in the colors of her nation. It was a simple sleeveless, short blue dress with white trimming and a white cloth to be tied around her waist. The box contained two beaded bracelets and small shell earrings. After Katara got changed into the comfortable outfit, Ming tied her hair into a thick ponytail with small braids on either side of her head being held back in the tie. Katara looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. It wasn't anything spectacular, but she liked the way she looked. She was so used to covering herself up in layers upon layers of fur to keep warm in the southern tundra, she even wore her hair down for the most part as it acted as an extra layer of warmth against the harsh cold. It wasn't often she was able to show off her body and her face. She, like her friends, had grown up. Katara wasn't one to gloat, but she knew she had grown into a beautiful young woman. It felt nice to be dressed up every now and again.

"Thank you, Ming. You do such a wonderful job," Katara said genuinely. She lightly turned and smiled up at the girl who was finishing up the braid on the right side of her head.

Ming smiled and blushed slightly. "Thank you, Katara. You are too kind. I hope you don't mind me saying, but I will miss you when you return to the Southern Water Tribe."

"I'm going to miss you too, Ming," Katara said sweetly. However, she hadn't really thought about leaving yet. Granted, her and her friends planned on staying a couple of weeks after the night of the festival, but it still would be over soon. She had really enjoyed spending time with her friends. It almost felt like old times.

"I think you are all ready, Lady Katara. Come with me, and I will take you to meet with your friends."

OooOOOooOOOOOoo

The sun was beginning to set by the time they all met up at the festival; all except for Zuko that is. It was explained to them by Iroh that Zuko being escorted in the company of his guards to ensure his safety. Katara had also noticed that the rest of them were surrounded by more guards than she thought necessary. It hadn't been like this when they first arrived in the Fire Nation. They had two, maybe three guards there but that seemed to just be to help them move things from the ship into their rooms. Now there were two to three guards for each member of the group. Katara found this particularly odd since they were all masters at their craft, whether it be bending or some other form of fighting. While she wanted to stop and consider what might be happening, she remembered what Toph and Suki had told her earlier: stop overthinking things.

The capital had always been one of the most beautiful places in the Fire Nation as it was a wealthy district, now was no exception. Beautiful lanterns were strung all across the buildings creating a beautiful soft lighting that colored the streets in the most beautiful gold Katara had ever seen. The smells of different foods from each nation filled the streets. Katara could smell the sweet scent of the cakes from the Air Nation and the savory aroma from the meats of the Water Tribe. Flags from each nation were hung up throughout the plaza. Katara couldn't believe how far the Fire Nation had come within the last six years. Less than a decade ago, their leader was trying to destroy every nation but his own, and now the leader of this nation was celebrating them.

Katara watched as people ran through the square in excitement. Rushing from stands to buy items from different nations that they had never seen or trying a food they had never tried. Katara felt her heart swell when she saw people from different nation's mingling and talking. The war had taken its toll on everyone. There was still resentment towards the Fire Nation for the years of war the world went through and there will still those in the Fire Nation who believed they were superior. However, that all seemed to be set aside for the festival. People wore colors from different nations, people wore masks of different creatures from different legends of different cultures, and people danced with one another, regardless of where they were from. The festival was truly a vision of peace.

"Katara, look!" Sokka shouted as he lightly grabbed her shoulder. Katara looked over to where her excited older brother was pointing. It was a small stand from the Southern Water Tribe that was selling beads and other small items from their nation. Katara smiled widely at the display that was set up. She had expected to see things from the Northern Watertribe since it was so much bigger, but she was glad to see things from her homeland. Zuko really did want everyone included.

The music shifted from each nation as well. One minute the tsungi horn would be blasting and then next traditional Water Tribe drums would be being played. Suki and Sokka danced together, mixing with the other couples in the plaza, Aang was being swarmed by people, all asking the Avatar for wisdom regarding the small matters of their life. Toph and Katara walked around, visiting each stand and seeing what each had to offer. Katara finally settled on a bag of fire flakes for the two of them to share. However, no matter where they went, they were closely followed by their guards. The guards didn't say anything to them or explain why they were following them, even when Toph demanded to know. Katara tried to stop herself from overthinking, but she couldn't help the feeling that there was something off.

Just as the sun had almost completely set, a loud gong was hit, causing everyone to direct their attention to a stage where Iroh stood.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the great nations, I welcome you to the Sixth Annual Peace Festival," Iroh welcomed with a large smile on his face. People cheered briefly before letting him finish his introduction. "I thank you all for traveling to be here. Whether it was just a few blocks or several weeks travel, we are happy to have you here. Now, I'd like to present Firelord Zuko who has a few words to say before things really begin."

The crowd once again clapped as Zuko made his way to the center stage. He was adorned in expensive red silk robes and gold armor. Katara had thought he looked regal the night before for their dinner, but he was the true vision of royalty here. He offered the crowd a small and sincere smile. Zuko was never one to really show happiness, but she could see the warmth in his eyes when he looked at the people mingling with one another. _Pride._ Katara thought. He's proud his nation is doing something to make everyone happy. However, Katara couldn't help but notice the two large guards that stood on either side of him. Maybe this was normal for something like the festival, but Katara couldn't help but feel that it wasn't.

"Greetings, everyone. Like my uncle had said, I am so grateful that you are all here. It wasn't long ago that we were at war with one another. However, things have changed so much since then. It fills be with such great joy to be able to see this era of peace which so many before us hadn't been able to see in their lifetime. I hope to continue this era well into our children's and our children's children's lives. This festival represents the coming together of the nations. If they hadn't come together during the days of war, this age of peace never would have been achieved. I am also thankful to see my friends, here," Zuko looked warmly at the group. His eyes met with Katara's briefly before flickering away to the rest of the crowd again. "It had been far too long since I had seen them and I wouldn't be where I am today without them." The crowd all cheered and clapped for this sentiment. Katara blushed at their enthusiasm for her and her friends. She had never really thought about it but they were regarded as war heros.

"Awh, Sparky _does_ have a heart," Toph teased to Katara. Katara smiled and playfully nudged Toph.

"Anyways, without further adieu, let the festivities begin," Zuko said clapping his hands together. With that, fireworks went off overhead and people began cheering even louder than before.

The fireworks lit up the sky in brillant shades of gold. She had thought the fireworks from the night before were beautiful and wild, but she had never seen such a display in her whole life. She must have been distracted by the show that was happening in the sky because once she looked back down at eye level she noticed dancers from different nations had appeared, all adorned in spectacular ribbons and feathers. Their bodies moved beautifully and the lights danced on their skin, just adding to the riveting display. One girl representing the Earth Kingdom grabbed ahold of Aang and got him to join in. Not that it was hard to do, Aang loved this sort of thing.

Katara smiled and made her way back to some of the booths that were selling the masks. She couldn't help but remember the time she, Sokka, and Aang had snuck into the Fire Nation and bought masks to hide their identities. This particular booth was selling spirit masks. She was never really able to recognize the spirits, that was something she just wasn't familiar with, but one in particular caught her eye. It was the face of a pale woman with bright crimson stripes painted around her face. Katara ran her thumb over the cheek of the mask and smiled.

"The Painted Lady?" asked a deep voice from behind her. Katara whirled around to see Zuko standing with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, she's always been my favorite," Katara said softly. "I uh, actually pretended to be her once." Zuko raised an eyebrow and Katara shook her head. "I know, weird."

"Not that weird," he chuckled. "I've dressed up as a spirit before too," he said as he grabbed a blue with large white fangs from the display.

"Really?"

"You'll have to ask Aang about it sometime," he looked over at the mask she was holding fondly. "Would you like that?"

Katara looked down at the mask she was still holding "Oh, yeah I was thinking about getting it."

Zuko took the mask from her hands and got the attention of the man working the stand. "How much for this?"

"For you? Please, just take it. It would be an honor for the Firelord to have anything of my masks!" The main said quickly, not making eye contact with Zuko. However, Zuko placed two gold coins on the wooden counter in front of him despite the offer. "Thank you, your grace. Thank you so much."

Zuko nodded politely then handed the mask back to a slightly blushing Katara. "You didn't have to do that you know."

"I know, but consider it an apology for earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did," he said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. He was never any good at apologies. As Firelord, he rarely ever had to apologize. In fact, he wasn't exactly sure what it was that compelled him to apologize to Katara in the first place, but he just did.

Katara smiled warmly at the blushing man in front of her. Some things never changed. ZUko wasn't that different from the award sixteen year old he had once been. "Thank you, Zuko."

The Firelord smiled a smile of relief. Katara however shifted uncomfortably, having recalled their conflict from earlier and the conversation she had sort of overheard. She shifted her eyes to the ground and bit her lip. Zuko, sensing something was bothering the waterbender cocked his head. "What's wrong?"

"Zuko, I know it's none of my business, but what was in that letter?" she asked, moving her bright blue eyes to meet again with his golden ones. They danced like flames in the soft flickering lighting the lanterns let off.

Zuko looked around uncomfortably. "Look, it's just not something I can discuss."

"Zuko-"

"Katara. Please. It's not that I don't trust you, I just really can't," he interrupted her. He grabbed both of her shoulders his eyes pleading with her to stop talking. "At least not here."

Katara looked at the desperation in his eyes and could hear it in his voice as well. She knew now that she wasn't overthinking things. There was clearly something going on, but she stopped herself from asking anything else about the letter. Instead she asked "does it have to do with why we are so heavily guarded?"

"There's nothing wrong with a little extra protection," Zuko said as he released Katara's shoulders.

"It just doesn't seem normal."

"Look, like I said, I really can't say anything here," Zuko pleaded once again.

Before Katara could say anything else, they heard Aang shout "Katara! Zuko!" they both turned to see the young man happily walking towards them with the rest of the group in toe.

"Come dance with us!" he smiled.

"Yeah, come on it's lots of fun. Besides, I'm sure you don't get to unwind often," Suki added looked towards Zuko.

"I don't know, dancing really isn't my thing," Zuko said flatly. Katara knew that this was a conversation that they would have to continue later. Zuko wasn't going to say anything in front of their friends so she figured she might as well make the rest of her friends happy.

"Sure, let's go," she said as she grabbed Zuko's hand and dragged the reluctant firebender to the dance floor.

The six of them danced around playfully to the light beats of the water tribe drum. Well, five of them did. Zuko just sort of awkwardly swayed to the music, uncomfortable with all the stares he was getting.

Zuko also couldn't help watch Katara dance to her native music. She moved her arms in graceful sweeping movements while her hips moved in circular motions to the beats of the drum. As the music picked up in speed so did her movements. She twirled around and bucked her hips and laughed. Zuko had noticed earlier how beautiful Katara had become, but this was different to him. This almost felt erotic. He couldn't stop from a small blush creeping across his face as he watched the water tribe beauty dance. For the third time that night, Katara and Zuko's eyes met. Katara smiled sweetly and danced closer the stiff fire king.

"Come on Zuko, loosen up!" she laughed.

Zuko tried to match her enthusiasm with the dance, but only for a second. He was immediately embarrassed by how little he knew and stood still in his place, beat red in the face. "I'm not sure how to dance this dance."

"There's no _right_ way to dance to it. Just feel it!" Aang said as he passed the two of them by. Katara laughed at the young passing Avatar and looked back to the embarrassed Firelord. This kind of music always seemed to lighten the mood. The guards that were so seriously guarding the team of benders seemed to even relax a little bit, getting into the music and smiling.

Katara grabbed Zuko's hands and moved his arms around for him to mirror her's. He tried again to move his feet to the beat of the drums. He wasn't very good at it, but he was trying his best.

"There you go!" Katara laughed. She smiled at him and she noticed a small smile begin creeping up on his face as well.

Once the music stopped everyone seemed to be smiling wide and laughing. The music then suddenly changed to something clearly Fire Nation and much slower. The couples all around them got close and embraced and began to sway slowly.

Katara felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to see Aang who was smiling sweetly at Katara with his hand over turned, waiting for her to place her hand in his. "Wanna dance?"

"Um," Katara started, hesitant to put her hand in his. It's not that she didn't want to dance with Aang. In fact, Aang was actually a really great dancing partner. But based on how he felt towards her, she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. Luckily, someone seemed to sense her discomfort.

"C'mon Aang. I'll dance with you. I think I need a break from Sokka," Suki smiled, grabbing onto Aang's hand. Aang smiled back at Suki and nodded. He looked to Katara "Save me a dance alright?"

Sokka then looked to Toph. "Well, since my girlfriend left me for the Avatar, care to join me for a dance Miss Bei Fong?" he then gave an exaggerated bow.

"Yeah, sure whatever," Toph blushed, grabbing onto his hand tightly.

Katara would have to find a way to thank Suki later. She then felt a warm hand wrap around her's. She looked to see Zuko smiling down at her. "Dance with me?"

The lanterns from earlier had dimmed quite noticeably from earlier and the moon was bright and high in the sky. That was what Katara was going to tell herself when she wanted to find a reason why Zuko looked so handsome right now. It's also what she'd tell herself when she asked herself why she said yes to his request.

Zuko continued to hold on of her hands and placed his free hand on her waist and pulled her just inches away from his own body. He knew this was a stupid idea. Maybe it was the dancing from earlier, but he was finding it hard to resist bringing her closer than what is probably socially acceptable. Katara blushed at the touch and gasped when he brought her closer.

"I-I'm not sure how to dance this dance," Katara sputtered.

"Just follow my lead," Zuko smiled.

Katara looked around to see where her other friends were at. Aang and Suki were a comfortable distance from one another. Both smiling and talking, but Katara couldn't help but notice the glances Aang shot their way every so often. Toph and Sokka were fairly close. Sokka looked to be rambling on about something but Toph kept her mouth shut. Her face was almost as red as Zuko's silk robes.

She and Zuko swayed with the music. Considering how clumsy Zuko was with the Water Tribe music, he danced quite beautifully to this.

"You're not half bad," she said genuinely.

"Yeah, they teach us this kind of dancing when we're really young at the palace," Zuko admitted.

"Well they did a pretty good job."

"Thanks," Zuko said warmly. He tightened his grip around hand, making Katara blush even more than she already was. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her tonight. She shouldn't be this awkward around him. It's just Zuko.

They enjoyed a comfortable silence between the two of them, just listening to the music, swaying, and looking at each other.

"You know, I'm really glad your uncle sent us that invitation," Katara said finally.

"I am too," Zuko smiled.

However, before Katara could say anything, she noticed his smile turn into shock. His eyes widened and he let out a gasp as a dagger plunged into his neck. Blood immediately began spilling out of his neck. He grasped his neck and tried to speak or scream out for help, but blood was quickly beginning to fill his mouth.

Zuko heard Katara let out a horrified scream as she desperately tried to catch him as he collapsed to the ground. Things were starting to get blurry. The last thing Zuko remembered was a group of guards rushing over to help the stunned waterbender who was holding him in her arms.

Then everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I'm so sorry it took so long for me to update this. My life has just been crazy busy but here's what I have of the next chapter. It ends on kind of a weird note so I'll probably go back and add more to it later or fix it or maybe I'll just fuck with it a bit, idk. Thanks for being patient everyone, sorry it's so short.**

Katara let out a loud scream as she saw her friend begin to drop to his knees. Blood was spilling out of his neck at an alarming rate. She felt so stupid for not seeing the man coming up from behind. Katara looked at Zuko's gold eyes, wide in shock, as he tried to hold onto her for balance. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a sputter of spit and blood. Katara could feel the tears begin welling up in her eyes as she watched his begin to flutter shut.

"Someone! Please! Help!" she screamed louder. The guards were already on their way over but it was her first instinct to yell. Katara hardly noticed the frantic crowd running in every direction. Guards and the local authority were trying to calm everyone down and clear the area, but there was too much chaos.

Tears were streaming down her face as she cradled his head until a couple of guards arrived and took the unconscious king from her arms. What was the use of having so many around if none of them were rushing to help? Not far behind, Aang, Sokka, Suki, and Toph came running.

"Katara! What happened?" asked Aang as he looked upon the girl covered in blood. Behind, she heard Suki gasp in horror as she saw a near dead Zuko being carried to the carriage that brought him there in the first place.

Katara was too in shock to answer Aang, the only thing she could think of was Zuko. Without a word, Katara shot up and ran towards the carriage. Just as she reached to pull back the red satin curtains, she was stopped by a guard.

"Apologizes, my lady. But I can't allow you in there," said the armored man, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me go," Katara growled as she tried to shake free of his grip. This, however, only caused him to tighten his hold. This infuriated Katara and she reached to uncap the water pouch she always carried with her. She would've driven ice daggers into his head if a gust of wind hadn't almost blown the two of them over.

"Let her in. She's a healer," Aang demanded.

The guard didn't budge. Without warning, he shot a flame at the Avatar. Aang caught it and bended it into a puff of smoke. Aang and the rest of the team looked shocked at the attack that seemed to come out of nowhere, he was supposed to be their ally. If his job was to protect Zuko at all costs, why wasn't he letting her in? Just as Aang bent the guard's feet into the ground, another came from behind hurl balls of flames at the team. Sokka knocked the man off balance and beat him back. There were three more that came, all with spears pointing towards the team. They were no match for Toph who quickly knocked them out with a few rocks. There had been so many guards that escorted them, where were they now that they needed safety and help?

With no more guards coming, Katara jumped into the carriage to see Zuko who was still laying on his back unconscious. A presumably young man dressed in all black sat with his masked face turned towards the dying lord. One hand had his own hair pushed back and the other shaky hand held a still bloodied knife.

His head shot up and his golden eyes met her blue ones. Katara, in a blind rage lunged towards the young man. He scrambled to his feet and darted out the door. Katara was going to chase this man down if it was the last thing she did. However, she didn't have to go very far. As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, Suki punched him straight in the stomach, causing him to keel over. Once Suki had him detained, she looked back at Katara and nodded.

"Go to Zuko," Suki commanded. "We got this."

Katara nodded and sat next to her fading friend. She gently placed his head in her lap. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes again, he was barely hanging on. She bent the water out of her pouch and covered the horrific laceration. It was gushing blood and, on top of that, it didn't look like a clean cut, his skin was coming off in small ribbons in certain areas. It would be a miracle if this would work. Had this been a full moon, she could've done something to bend the blood somehow, but she wasn't so lucky.

The water began to glow around the wound but she was having a hard time concentrating. Katara had been in the war that lasted a century, she had seen blood and helped men who had far worse wounds. But this was different. Zuko is the leader of a nation without an heir. Zuko is the only thing holding an entire country together. Zuko saved her life in the war. If Zuko died, she would never be able to live with herself.

Katara could feel the energy moving inside of Zuko. She felt as the blood cells began to regenerate and his skin began to come together. In his sleep, Zuko stirred, grimacing. Healing came with its drawbacks. Whenever Katara healed something small like cuts or burns, it was painless. However, something so deep required a bit more power. Beads of sweat began to mix with Katara's tears. She had only ever concentrated so hard on healing twice in her life. Once when Aang was shot down by Azula, and another time with Zuko. Katara looked down at the bloodied man in her lap. He looked so helpless now compared to the strong leader she had seen just a few hours ago.

Suddenly Zuko's eyes shot open and he let a terrible scream. This prompted Iroh to run into the room.

"What's going on?" Iroh said desperately.

"He's in too much pain. Hold him down!" Katara shouted. He immediately took Zuko and held his shoulders down so that Katara could continue to concentrate on healing. This caused the firebender to struggle even more, letting out more painful cries.

"Please, Zuko, I'm sorry," Katara whimpered. She was struggling to hold back the tears. Seeing Zuko like this filled her with guilt. She should've been able to stop this from happening. Zuko's eyes slowly shut again, and his struggling stopped. Iroh slowly released his arms and kneeled beside the other two benders.

"I should've been able to stop this," Iroh shook his head slowly. Katara looked to the old man sadly and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"There wasn't anything you could have done."

Iroh offered a small smile in response and placed his hand over her's. He took a deep breath in and said "We should head back to the palace. Not that I don't trust your ability as a healer, but my nephew needs as much help as he get. We need to get moving. I'll start getting the carriage moving, please continue to do what you can."

Katara nodded and watched the old man feebly get up and make his way out. She grabbed his hand before he had finished stepping out and tried to give her most confident smile. "He'll be okay, Iroh. I promise."

Iroh smiled and nodded before turning to leave. She hoped to every god and spirit that she'd be able to keep that promise because she wasn't entirely sure she could. Katara looked down at the man laying motionless in her lap. He wasn't dead, but it wasn't looking good. He had lost so much blood. Katara did what she could to heal, but the blood just wasn't stopping. She untied the white ribbon around her waist and held wadded it up into a tight ball and pressed it against the gaping lesion in Zuko's neck. The cloth was immediately dyed red as Zuko's blood spilled into the fabric.

Katara's breath began to falter and she broke down into tears for the third time.

"Please, let him be okay," she whispered, looking up to the ceiling. She whispered this small prayer in hopes that any spirit, god, or any higher power would hear. Zuko didn't deserve this. The whole world needed him. After a century of war and death, every nation looked to him to pull things together. The Fire Nation looked to him to get things back on track, create jobs for soldiers returning from war, and redefine what it means to be from the Fire Nation. The rest of the world blamed him for all of their loss. The Fire Nation destroyed so much during the war and now it was Zuko's responsibility to fix it. Her friends needed him. He may have joined their group late, but he was what was missing. Regardless of what the rest of the world needed, there would be a hole that no one could ever replace if he didn't make it.

She needed him.

At this point, no amount of water healing could help him; he needed further medical attention before she could continue on. She just prayed they got to the palace soon.

She turned her attention back to the Firelord. Her hands still desperately trying to stop the bleeding with her clothing. She noticed the ribbon was covered in crimson and not taking in anymore liquid. She croaked out a sob and tore the bottom of her blue dress and pressed it to the wound again. The bleeding had slowed, but it still turned the blue fabric purple within seconds.

Suddenly, the curtains to the carriage opened to reveal three imperial guards, a man Katara had never seen before, and Iroh.

"They'll take care of my nephew. This is the family physician's assistant. We'll take it from here," Iroh explained. Katara hadn't even noticed the carriage was moving let alone the fact that they had already arrived back to the palace. Katara sat stunned for a few seconds as the large men carefully took the Firelord off her lap and placed him in on a wooden board with a blanket over it. She shook her head and ran to Zuko's side.

"I'm coming with. I'll be able to help more once they get the bleeding under control," she said firmly. She wasn't too trusting of anyone other than her friends and Iroh at this point. She didn't know if these guards were in on some plan to get rid of Zuko too and figured she'd better go just to make sure. Even with Iroh there, she felt like she just needed to be in control.

Iroh nodded as the six of them hurried into the palace. They took a hallway Katara had never seen before. She really didn't think anything of it, the corridors of the palace were confusing to Katara no matter what, but when they arrived to the room they were in Katara was even more confused. She figured they would've taken him to an infirmary, but this room was most definitely not an infirmary.

The room was absolutely massive. There a huge window to the left of the room, revealing a gorgeous view of a garden filled with flowers and a pond. Next to the window was a simple wooden desk, but the rest of the room was furnished in lavish golden and red decor. To the right, there was another door, most likely leading to a bathroom. The bed that was placed in the middle of the room was giant. Katara thought her bed was big, but this could fit all her friends and then some. There was a beautiful canopy over the bed. From it, draped a thin, sheer fabric that was embroidered with the most elaborate golden design. Judging by the elaborate furniture and size, Katara was able to deduce that these were Zuko's personal quarters.

As the guards slowly moved Zuko to the bedside, Katara pulled back the covered and prepared and area for Zuko to be laid. They carefully placed the unconscious man on the mattress as the head physician made his way over to Zuko's side; everyone but Katara moved aside for him. The physician was peculiar looking. He wasn't very old, maybe in his late thirties, but he was thin and lanky. He was shorter than Toph and wore spectacles so large you could hardly see the rest of his face. He shot Katara a look when she wouldn't budge from her spot but continued on with examining the Fire lord.

Katara looked back and forth from the strange man squinting at the open, gushing wound, and the wound itself. The bleeding had slowed down considerably, but the skin around the wound was beginning to blister. Small cysts had begun to form around the open wound, the veins in Zuko's neck had begin to become purple, and puss was pouring from the opening. The skin around the wound seemed to be sizzling. Zuko was unconscious, but his eyes were held together tightly; it was obvious, even in his sleep, he was dealing with a considerable amount of pain. The doctor seemed to be considering his options, but he didn't have much time to consider. They had already lost so much time on their way from the festival.

"Well?" Katara said impatiently. The physician shot her a look and shook his head solemnly. Katara froze, she could feel the blood draining from her face.

"It doesn't look good," he said gravely. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Iroh was turning a pale color as well. His head beginning to hang. "The good news is, it seems his carotid artery was missed by the blade. I _should_ be able to stop the bleeding and stitch him up. However, whatever the attacker used to give this wound was poisoned. It's going to take a lot to draw the poison out of him."

Katara wasn't sure why they were wasting all the time they had talking when they could be saving Zuko. She was frantic. Based on what the doctor had just said, it was still possible for Zuko to be saved. "I'm a waterbender, I can bend the poison out of him," Katara offered. The physician looked at her, surprised at first, then nodded. _Perhaps she's not as in the way as I thought._

Katara moved closer to Zuko and took a deep breath before she moved her hands over to his neck. She closed her eyes and tried to feel the energy within Zuko. Had it been a full moon, this all would've been so much easier. She tried to feel around his streams of blood for any irregularities. She stopped when she felt a spot closing around his esophagus. When she usually healed, the blood always felt smooth. It was thicker than water, but there was something about it that felt alive. Blood felt different than water. When she bent water, she had total control, but blood was a completely different force. Something about it felt warm. However, whatever she had felt in Zuko's veins was different. The energy was dead, but it was white hot, she could feel it seering her palms as she tried to pull it out of his bloodstream. She took another deep breath as her hands began to glow.

Suddenly, the firebender's eyes shot open again.


End file.
